Back to School isn't Just for Kids!

August 2024 Issue
Energy Express by Marilynn Preston


Fitparenting 101:
Back to School Lessons for Mom and Dad

The Back to School banners are waving, and parents all over America are being tested with difficult questions that weren’t even an issue 10 years ago: Is my child too fat? Too stressed? Too medicated? Over-programmed or under-programmed? Too shy or too aggressive? Is his backpack too heavy? Is she spending too much time texting and shopping when she should be on the soccer field, building muscles and a future as a team-playing corporate executive?

Parenting has never been tougher, and yet it’s not too late to make the grade. The U.S. school system—a chronic failure struggling to improve—can only do so much. You’re the parent. You’re the one in charge, the role model, the Back to School already means change to your little ones: new teachers, new classroooms, new subjects. Why not new home rules, too? Out with the Cheetos, in with the carrot sticks. Pencils ready?

Lesson No. 1: No Skipping Breakfast.
You must find a way to enforce this rule or you flunk the course. Kids who start their day with a healthy breakfast have more energy and more brain power and do better in school than kids who skip breakfast or eat junk.

What is junk? A soda pop is junk. A doughnut is junk. All that sugar makes them high as a kite for the first hour or so, and then they crash and burn, smoldering until they get their next sugar fix.

If this is your pattern, too, oops. The Pop Tart does not fall far from the tree. This school year, take the frosted out of their flakes. Serve nutritious cereals, fresh fruit, whole-grain breads. Start a Family Breakfast Club at your house, and if you must, pay cash for perfect attendance.

Lesson No. 2: Movement Is Mandatory.
Some time ago, schools lost their minds. They cut out gym, recess, play time—all the things kids desperately need to develop physically and mentally.
It’s changing, slowly, but you mustn’t wait. Your child needs you now to insist he or she gets an hour of physical activity every single day. You’re the parent, you’re the boss, and if your kid is spending too much time indoors, on the computer, on the cell, it’s up to you to set limits.
Insist your little one keep a weekly calendar that tracks organized sports, disorganized sports and bouts of physical fun in between. If your kids complain, let them. But stay the course.

Your own activity schedule is a huge influence. Kids need to see parents make daily exercise a priority. And there’s nothing wrong with rewarding them for healthy, energizing choices. Every hour of activity earns a point, and 5 to 7 points by the end of the week merits a treat. It sounds hokey, but it can work. They probably didn’t like algebra at first, either.

Lesson No. 3: Make Smart Eating a No-Brainer.
Take a Saturday and engage your kid in a merciless kitchen makeover, tossing out all the highly processed fake foods, high-fat snacks, the high-sugar sodas. Serve real food, including snacks: cut-up fruit, nuts, veggies with tasty dips. Plan for relaxed family dinners. Teach your child to read labels. Learn about portion size, and make it a game at every meal. Involve your kids in planning meals: the shopping, the cooking, even the growing of food if at all possible.

If your school lunchroom is still a source of toxic treats, get involved in reform. Buy a copy of Michael Pollan’s “Food Rules,” and read a chapter aloud before bedtime. “It’s not food if it arrived through the window of your car.”

Lesson No. 4: Stress Stress.
This school year, watch for signs of stress in your kids: headaches, stomach aches, back pain, restless sleep and more. Before you reach for a pill or drug to solve the problem, think about a safer, saner strategy for helping your kids recognize and handle stress. Make sure they get enough sleep, exercise, unconditional love. Encourage them to do activities that link their bodies and minds—yoga, martial arts, meditation—so they can learn to relax and let go in a deep way.

ENERGY EXPRESS-O!
YOU CAN BOOK ON IT
“Education is not preparedness for life;
education is life itself”
— John Dewey —

Don’t Stop Learning
The back-to-school mentality isn’t just for kids

The day after Labor Day is always a bit of a letdown. Summer’s over, the world is falling apart, and it’s time to stow my kayak, sharpen my pencils, and go back to school.

Who uses pencils? What school? I haven’t been in a classroom since computers were the size of a two-car garage, but that’s how I’m hardwired to feel when Labor Day comes and goes.

So listen up, dear Readers. The back-to-school mentality isn’t just for kids. If you’re keen on living a healthier, happier lifestyle, you need to shift into your own back-to-school mode and learn new ways to enhance your well-being.

Please write this down: Positive change begins with personal effort. If you’re fed up with weighing too much and exercising too little, weary of too much stress and too little joy, you can alter your course.

But it requires continual self-education. Your path of study will vary according to your personal goals, but if you decide to stay the course when it comes to improving your wellness, your life report card can go from C’s to A’s:

Here are five electives to consider:

STRESS 101:
Stress happens. It’s part of life. We can’t avoid it. A loved one dies. You lose your job, your money, your keys. Stuff piles up: bills; unanswered emails; the feeling of too much to do in too little time.

Your assignment this school year? Learn to deal with your stress in healthy ways. Make it a practice, like brushing your teeth. But instead of just saving your molars, you’ll be bringing strength and vitality to your entire body.

Learn to meditate. It’s mainstream now, as is mindfulness training. Even five minutes a day can restore calm and make a difference.
Practice using your breath to center yourself, to bring a flow of energy to places in your body that are blocked, tight, calling attention to themselves.

Play more. Aerobic exercise—walking, biking, swimming—is a magnificent way to relieve stress and depression. It doesn’t work for everyone, but you won’t know until you give it your best.

COOKING 102:
It takes some study, but learning to cook simple, tasty, healthy meals is deliciously rewarding. For starters, you’ll save money. It’s expensive to eat out all the time. Dining out also tends to pack on the pounds.

At home, you can control the fats, balance the proteins and carbs, and dish out proper portions of real food instead of the monstrous servings you get in restaurants.

Home cooking—isn’t that a TV channel waiting to happen?—is the smart alternative to eating toxic and processed food.

And cooking with your kids is a great way to raise healthy eaters.

How you learn is up to you: books, online, live classes. Keep it fun. Don’t overcomplicate it, and rely on simple, fresh ingredients.
If you’re keen on living a healthier, happier lifestyle, you need to shift into your own back-to-school mode and learn new ways to enhance your well-being.
YOGA 103:
Start now, and go beyond the postures to explore the philosophy of peace and calm. Don’t worry about your grade. Yoga is not a competitive sport. The practice of yoga, over time, makes you strong, flexible, calm and compassionate. (Qigong is another course, of course—left for another column.) Be patient and find a wonderful teacher. As always, proceed with caution. Create no injuries.

CHANGE YOUR GAME 104:
If you’re bored with your current exercise routine, spend this semester discovering new ways to release the pleasure hormones. Running isn’t for everyone. Neither are walking or biking. Study up on alternatives until you find an activity that lights your fire. Tango dancing? Paddleboarding? Horseback riding? There’s a sport for everyone. When you connect with yours, you’ll never be bored with exercise again.

ANATOMY 105:
Don’t laugh. Anatomy isn’t just a course for doctors in training. It’s an insight we all need to develop. Why study anatomy? Because you’re a human being and your well-being is enhanced when you know thyself. Know where your bones, muscles and organs live and how they’re all connected and interdependent.

Studying anatomy teaches you to think in pictures and that’s really helpful when you want to release tight hamstrings. Or create space around your stomach muscles, where that belly fat layers on. My personal theory? When you know your body—inside and out—you can listen to it and treat it better.

ENERGY EXPRESS-O!
YOU CAN BOOK ON IT
“Education is not preparedness for life;
education is life itself”
— John Dewey —

Marilynn Preston—healthy lifestyle expert, well being coach and Emmy-winning producer—is the creator of Energy Express, the longest-running syndicated fitness column in the country. She has a website, marilynnpreston.com and also produces EnExTV, a digital reincarnation of her award-winning TV series about sports, fitness and adventure, for kids of all ages, at youtube.com/EnExTV and facebook.com/EnExTV. ©2024 ENERGY EXPRESS LTD.