May 2, 2002

Prairie Fare: On the Move to Better Health

By Julie Garden-Robinson, Food and Nutrition Specialist
NDSU Extension Service

The other day my six-year-old son and I were talking about scheduling some summer activities for him. As I looked through the city’s summer recreation guide, he announced he wanted to "jump over turtles this summer."

Since we don’t have lots of turtles in the neighborhood, I didn’t think he’d be having much fun or getting a lot of exercise. I repeated my question. He gave me the "my mom’s an alien" look and repeated his answer.

Trying to get me to understand, he said "Mom, you run around a track and jump over turtles this high." He held his hand about waist-high. I finally got it. He wasn’t talking about the giant turtles featured in public TV documentaries. Yes, running and jumping over hurdles would be a good summer activity, as long as it’s not done in the living room.

Physical activity is very important for people of all ages. It goes hand-in-hand with healthy eating in helping lower our risk for certain diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

Physical activity doesn’t have to be as strenuous as "turtle jumping" to be effective. In 1995 the Surgeon General recommended that all adults aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity like walking on five or more days of the week. It even counts to accumulate the minutes in shorter increments. Ten minutes of walking three times a day will fill the bill. Parking your car farther from your destination and taking the stairs instead of the elevator count, too.

Many experts recommend that children get at least 60 minutes of physical activity on a daily basis. Increasing physical activity among children could help reverse the worrisome trend of childhood obesity. Saying no to "super-size" portions and eating more fruits and vegetables can also help.

With hectic lives and many distractions, adults and children may find it difficult to meet the recommendations. TV, videos and computer games can distract children from getting physical activity. Children in the United States spend an average of four hours daily watching TV. Every year they see about 20,000 commercials. Many TV food commercials are for sweetened beverages and high-fat snacks.

We all need to feed our bodies with a variety of healthy foods. Bones, in particular, need ample calcium along with vitamin D and several other nutrients. Dairy products are good sources of calcium. A cup of milk, for example, contains about 300 milligrams of calcium. Calcium-fortified juice and cereal and broccoli are other sources of calcium.

In addition to food, weight-bearing physical activity can strengthen our bones. Setting limits on sedentary activities like watching TV is a worthy goal. Children, especially teenagers, are building bone mass to carry them throughout life.

Walking, running and jumping rope are examples of activities that put pressure on bones, strengthening them in the process. Swimming and bike riding, although good for the heart, technically are not weight bearing exercises because weight is being supported.

Here’s a refreshing and easy-to-make treat to enjoy after getting some physical activity.

Pudding Pops

2 c. cold low-fat or skim milk
1 package (4-serving size) instant pudding mix
6 (about 5-oz) paper cups
6 plastic spoons or Popsicle sticks

Beat pudding mix and milk together, at least two minutes. Spoon into cups. Insert Popsicle stick or spoon in center of each cup. Freeze at least 5 hours. To remove pop from cup, place bottom of cup in warm water for 10-15 seconds. Makes six pops. Each pop contains 100 calories, less than 2 grams of fat and 100 milligrams of calcium.

###

Source: Julie Garden-Robinson, (701) 231-7187, jgardenr@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu