Kids Who Jump Robe Have a Healthy Heart

Jumping rope is such a favorite activity during the school years, here's a great article about some benefits you may not have realized this activity gives children! Maybe it's time for us to jump in too!

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One of the activities we all looked forward to during lunch recess was going out to the schoolyard and jumping rope. Engaging in double-dutch rope jumping was the best and most fun activity we enjoyed. Today, kids are still enjoying this physical activity and have even taken it up a notch or two.

While the benefits of jumping rope are numerous, it does play a vital role in keeping kids’ hearts healthy. Even adults who utilize jumping rope find the cardiovascular workout to be even more effective than running or walking. While some of us had a problem trying to jump in to the spinning ropes, kids seem more adept at establishing their foot, hand, and eye coordination at an early age.

Jumping rope is not only great for the heart, but helps in losing weight as well. Even single rope jumping can become an intense workout. While some kids may not be as coordinated as Rocky, there are wonderful videos available for exercises that can teach anyone how to add new techniques to rope jumping.

As mentioned earlier, jumping rope is a great way to burn calories and lose weight. In addition, the workout utilizes all of the muscles in the body. For kids jumping rope, it is a necessary ingredient in building strong bones, which is important to them as they grow older.

While jumping rope in our day was a fun way to release pent-up energy, it has become an art form today for kids. With all of the maneuvers and techniques used, it’s a great way to maintain a healthy heart, increase energy, and keep the body physically fit.

Instead of watching TV or playing video games, encourage your kids to jump rope. If you excelled in this activity, perhaps you can teach your kids a few tricks as well.

Exercise Safety Tips for Kids

It is estimated that over 3 million kids suffer injuries when exercising, whether it’s running, bike riding, or becoming overheated due to overexertion. In an effort to avoid any injuries, kids need to follow safety guidelines when involved in any form of rigorous or playful exercises.

Running: Stretching exercises should be performed to prepare the body for any type of physical activity. In addition, kids should cool down after each activity.

Bike Riding: Wearing a helmet, elbow and knee pads will protect kids from serious injury if they fall off or have a collision while riding.

Sports: When playing any type of sport, proper gear should be worn to protect kids from injury, including helmets, and knee and elbow pads. Notice should be taken to ensure the playground or park is in ideal condition for kids to play, as well as any equipment utilized in parks such as swings, monkey bars, teeter-totters, and other stationary equipment which kids utilize.

Dehydration: When running or engaging in any sport, drinking water should be a primary concern so that kids do not overheat and/or pass out from heat exhaustion.

Health: Before any kids begin exercise routines or participate in sports, it is a good idea to have them checked by a physician to ensure they are physically able to exercise in any form. Some kids may be limited due to conditions such as asthma.

Supervision: Kids who play in parks or on sports teams require supervision, that is, a parent or sports doctor who can assist an injured child while, at the same time, ensuring the kids are having a good time.

Exercising can be a fun activity, but oftentimes kids may not realize they are overexerting themselves and can run into a problem. More importantly, they may feel invincible when taking on an exercise such as bike riding or team sports and not wear the proper equipment. Encouraging kids to exercise and participate in sports is important, but teaching them the proper way to do it, without injury, is paramount.

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Natural Remedies for Ear Infections

Infections of the ear most often occur after swimming, specifically when polluted water enters the ear canal. Also scratching inside the ear to alleviate itching or trying to remove ear wax are other ways in which you can develop an ear infection. If the onset of the symptoms begins with itching followed by pain, these are signs the ear may be infected. Here are some natural remedies for ear infections which may help.

Apply a heating pad over the ear or a clean cotton pad. Keep the ear clean and dry, and remove any pus with a cotton ball. When taking a shower, wear a shower cap to prevent any water from entering the ear. Remove any water from the ear with a blow dryer.

Other natural remedies include:

1. Add a few drops of garlic juice into the ear.
2. Add a few drops of tea tree oil to a ¼ cup of warm olive oil.
3. Add a few drops of warm olive oil into the infected ear.
4. Add a drop of hydrogen peroxide in the ear.
5. Heat up some baby oil and place a few drops in the ear.
6. For wax buildup which results in an infection, place a few drops of mineral oil into the infected ear and remove the loosened wax with a suction bulb.

While these are tried and true natural remedies for ear infections, you can prevent them from occurring by using a remedy that has worked for generations – take a teaspoon of cod liver oil every day. According to research, this old but familiar remedy has been proven effective. Experts suggest taking a teaspoon of the new lemon-flavored cod liver oil followed by a multi-vitamin tablet with selenium. They assert this may also prevent ear infections in children.

Of course, if the ear infection persists after you’ve applied these natural remedies, it would be advisable to see a doctor. However, the general consensus among those who have used these natural remedies for ear infections agree that any one of the above methods do indeed work.

Healthy Meals at School

We all want our children to be safe and healthy, even when we can’t watch them 24/7. One way to keep them healthy is to make sure they eat right, but if we don’t prepare all their meals ourselves, that’s hard to do. Schools are taking steps towards making school lunches healthier, but you still may need to step in to make sure your child is being given healthy options.

There are programs in place that require certain nutritional standards to be met. Within these standards, there are a lot of menu options schools can choose so that children can be given a variety of foods while staying nutritious and within the school’s means. There are a few problems with this plan. First, the dietary guidelines set out for school may not comply with what you think it healthy for your child. Second, schools receive funding for following guidelines, but they are still not required to abide by them.

To allow for variations in what you and your child think is healthy, some schools are allowing students not to take one or more menu options. While this generally only happens in high schools, more middle and elementary schools are allowing it. For this to work, you must teach your child to make healthy choices.

If you question the nutritional value of your child’s lunch, you can either request menus be sent to you, or if possible, go have lunch with them a few times and see what they’re eating. If you don’t feel the menu meets high enough standards, make that known. Talk to the principal, the PTA, the school board, or the person in charge of menu planning. Find other parents who agree with you and take a stand.

It seems the most logical option to ensure your child is eating right at school is just to give them a sack lunch. The problem is, there’s no guarantee your child is eating their lunch and not someone else’s. There are only so many teachers that can monitor lunch time, and unless your child has strict dietary restrictions, they really can’t ensure there isn’t lunch trading going on. Again, it is your responsibility to teach your child healthy eating habits.

While you may feel that schools should be required to serve healthy lunches, that doesn’t mean they do. Many steps are being taken in the right direction, but you may need to help give those nutritional programs a nudge. Just remember that not all people view healthy food the same and you may need to make concessions depending on how strict your think your child’s diet should be.