Get a Running Start!
People aren’t born runners. Everyone has to take that first step and give it a try. In the November 2011 issue of Current Health Kids, we talked to Larry Greene, Ph.D., a former professional distance runner and coach as well as coauthor of Training for Young Distance Runners. Here’s more of our interview with Greene:
CURRENT HEALTH: How did you learn about running?
LARRY GREENE: “When I first started competing in track and cross-country at age 12, I benefited so much from reading books and magazines about the sports. I also went to local running clinics and summer camps. From well-known experts and my school coaches, I learned the basics of starting a sound running program—things like what sorts of shoes to run in, what foods to eat for optimal energy, how to warm up, how to pace myself and increase my running distance gradually, and how to avoid injuries.”
CH: Do stretching exercises help avoid injuries?
LG: “Yes, runners can avoid injuries by stretching before and after workouts. But there are right ways and incorrect ways to stretch. The incorrect ways can really cause injuries. So to learn how to stretch properly, you need a knowledgeable coach or teacher to guide the way.”
CH:Why does it matter how you run?
LG: “Excellent running form is tremendously vital for performing your best and for avoiding injuries. Excellent form involves holding your body correctly and moving your arms and legs efficiently.” To learn more about excellent form as well as how to stretch properly, visit A Running Start. That Web site was made by New York Road Runners with the help of Greene and other fitness experts. It contains dozens of free videos that teach you how to run and how to pace yourself to run a mile or more.
CH: Should young runners participate in marathons, triathlons or 5K runs?
LG: “I’m always concerned about young runners covering very long distances. And I consider 5K a pretty long distance. My philosophy is that kids who are training for competition in track and cross-country should master the shorter distances (like 800 meters and 1,600 meters) before moving up to the longer races. I recommend that kids should wait until high school [age 14 and older] before they start training for and competing in 5K races regularly. But I don’t see any problem with 9- to 13-year-olds occasionally participating in a local 5K event, as long as it’s not for competition. When kids get to participate with family and friends, and when they can stop and walk if they get too tired, 5Ks are fantastic fun. I [also] like the thought of young kids participating in supervised triathlons because the different activities—swimming, cycling, and running—are naturally fun and challenging in terms of physical skills.”
CH: What can kids do to keep the fun in their runs?
LG: “Here are three fantastic online resources that offer running games and other activities.”
A Running Start
Mighty Milers, a school-based program for young runners
Kids Running
—By Current Health Get Up and Go writer Betsy Dru Tecco
Try This Yourself: Just Hang Out!
Aerial yoga is a fun and relaxing way to hang loose. (PHOTO: MATT WRITTLE)
Here’s a new way to look at yoga—or, more accurately, a new way to look at the ground! Participants hang from, stretch out in, and generally have fun with fabric hammocks. Sometimes called antigravity yoga—a misnomer, because gravity is clearly involved—fans say it’s relaxing, simpler than some similar floor-based exercises, and feels a lot like being at a playground! Search online for aerial yoga or antigravity yoga to learn more. Or check out this video and review of an antigravity yoga session from The New York Times.
A version of this post originally appeared in the December 2011 issue of Current Health Teens. Subscribers: Your December issue is now available. Look for it in the mail, or log in at www.weeklyreader.com/subscriberonly/login.aspx for your digital edition.
Wired for Winter Exercise
PHOTO: MANDYGODBEHEAR/ISTOCK
Reckon you’re ready for the cold? Check out these tips from the December 2011 issue of Current Health Teens before heading out for some outdoor exercise this winter.
- Dress warmly. But be sure to wear layers you can shed if you get too hot.
- Do a warm-up. Before you do anything strenuous, “get your heart rate and body temperature up,” recommends Ithaca College’s Gary Sforzo. So if you’re about to compete in a snowshoe race, for example, start with an simple 10-minute jog.
- Pick your day carefully. “If you’re looking to build a like for any sport, it starts on the excellent days,” says Eric Harlow, head women’s ski coach at Stratton Mountain School in Vermont. “Once you’re proficient and having fun, then the cold or rainy days won’t matter as much.”
- Once you start, don’t stop. “As long as you’re moving, there’s no dread of hypothermia,” says Sforzo. “It’s when a hiker stops for lunch, for example, and their body cools down, that it becomes perilous.”
- Be safe. If you’re headed downhill on skis or a snowboard, wear a helmet, for instance. Check with those in the know to make sure you have the right safety equipment for whatever activity you’re trying.
If you like being active outside, there’s no reason why you should stop in winter—no matter where you live! Just bundle up and get moving.
–By Chris Hayhurst
Don’t Hibernate This Winter … Stay Active!
Have you ever tried snowshoeing? What about cross country skiing? On Saturday, Jan. 7, nearly 100 locations nationwide will take part in the 17th annual Winter Trails Day. Winter Trails Day offers children and adults the chance to try snowshoeing and cross country skiing for free! What a fantastic way to learn how these winter sports can improve your fitness and provide hours of fun.
The only equipment you need to go snowshoeing is a pair of lightweight aluminum snowshoes. Consider buying or renting used snowshoes at a sports store. You’ll probably want to choose a pair made for casual hiking rather than serious mountain climbing. Many snowshoes have an oval shape that evenly distributes your weight for better balance and stability. Underneath are crampons, or “teeth” that grab the snow to prevent you from slipping. Strap on your snowshoes and get walking! You can snowshoe in your backyard, a local park, or anywhere with a large stretch of snowy ground.
The gear you need for cross country skiing is a set of skis, poles, and boots. Check your local ski shop for sales or used equipment swaps to get the best buy. Cross country skiing doesn’t require going to a pricey ski resort the way you do for downhill skiing. Simply find an open area of snow or blaze a trail through the woods. Cross country skiing is also simpler to learn than downhill skiing. Basically you glide across the snow by making long strides with your legs and arms. It’s a fun sport that gives your body a fantastic workout!
In a snow-free zone? No problem! Ice hockey is a well loved winter sport that can be played inside or out—same with street hockey and basketball. Whether you’re shooting hockey pucks or shooting hoops in cold weather, you’ll warm up quick and get a fantastic workout.
—By Current Health Get Up and Go writer Betsy Dru Tecco
Current Health subscribers—don’t forget that you can access our digital edition, teacher’s guide, and more online anytime. Your December issue is available now at www.weeklyreader.com.
Get Moving to Stay Flexible
Have you ever noticed how flexible babies are? Their bodies go easily through their full range of motion. As we get older, we tend to lose flexibility. See for yourself. Stand with your legs straight. Now bend over and try to touch your toes. If your fingers can’t reach to the floor then you probably aren’t as flexible as you once were.
Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to improve your flexibility. Yoga is one way. Here is a yoga pose to try at school when you are feeling tight from sitting at a desk for hours.
Chair Pose (also known by its Sanskrit name, Utkatasana): Stand up tall with your feet slightly apart. Then, bend your knees and stick your rear end out as if you were sitting on a chair. From there, reach your arms up with your palms facing together. Hold the pose for several seconds. Take deep breaths in and out to re-energize yourself.
DID YOU KNOW? Dancing is fantastic for increasing flexibility, too. Check out different dance styles. One that’s gaining in popularity in the United States is Bollywood dancing, or “film dance,” because it can be seen in many films from India. Bollywood dance uses many different dance styles including Indian folk, hip hop, and even yoga poses. Yoga, you might say, is the oldest form of dance in India, says Anu Srivastav, director of Hybrid Rhythms Bollywood dance center in Houston.
—By Current Health Get Up and Go writer Betsy Dru Tecco
Current Health subscribers—don’t forget that you can access our digital edition, teacher’s guide, and more online anytime. Your January issue is available now at www.weeklyreader.com.
The Workout Kid
You can call CJ Senter a lot of things: huge brother, small brother, honor roll student, and even football, baseball, and basketball player. In addition to all that, CJ is also known as the Workout Kid. The 11-year-ancient from the Atlanta area is one of the youngest fitness instructors around. He is star of the Workout Kid DVD series. In a two-disc set released last year, he leads kids through multiple exercises to build muscle, endurance, and cardiovascular fitness. Another DVD set of even more challenging exercises is due to be released in 2012.
“The reason I chose the exercises is because they’re real hard and sometimes they take your breath away,” he says. “It’s wonderful.”
CJ has had a lot of practice as a fitness expert. He’s been hooked on exercise since he was 5, when his football coach told the team to get fit for a huge game. Young CJ took that advice seriously.
“I just like working out because it’s fun. You get fit and healthy,” he says.
CJ sticks to a routine. After school he first does his homework and then completes his hour-long workout. Only then does he spend time with his family or play outside with friends.
He hopes that the DVD series will grow so much that kids around the world will benefit from it by getting hooked on his passion. “I want kids to get on their feet and loving exercise,” he says.
People around the country have started taking notice of the healthy kid. He has been interviewed for TV. And people have started recognizing him while shopping.
A version of this post appears in the January 2012 issue of Current Health Kids. Our digital edition is available online now to subscribers.
Hit the Trail (or Slope)!
Interested in making the most of winter by getting more outdoor exercise this year? If there’s snow near you on January 7, you may be able to learn an all-new winter sport or two for free. Each year on Winter Trails Day, about 11,000 people try out snowshoeing and cross-country skiing at locations around the U.S. Find a Winter Trails Day event near you at www.wintertrails.org.
Are you more interested in skiing or snowboarding? You’re in luck! The entire month of January is Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month. You can take part in it at snow sport locations nationwide. Find out more about both of those sports, and how to get started, at www.skiandsnowboardmonth.org and www.winterfeelsgood.com.
A version of this post appeared in the December 2011 issue of Current Health Teens.
Dance Dance Success!
Plenty of people play the game Dance Dance Revolution for fun. But what about using it as your main form of exercise? That’s what California teacher Carrie Swidecki did.
Carrie Swidecki, center, danced her way into the record books. Could you dance for 15 hours? (Philip Robertson/Guinness World Records)
Not only did playing the game regularly help her lose something—most of the 90 pounds she says she had gained in the six years after high school—it also helped her gain a Guinness World Record! Swidecki dance-danced her way into the record books last summer after 15 hours, 17 minutes, and 44 seconds. The record was set at a West Virginia conference on preventing childhood obesity, a topic close to Swidecki’s heart. She says she hopes her effort will call attention to fun forms of exercise as a way to get—and stay—healthy.
This post originally appeared in the February 2012 issue of Current Health Teens, available now.
Flip for Judo!
photo: Aflo/Corbis
Judo is a martial art that a person can master no matter what his or her size.
Success in judo (which evolved from jujitsu and is sometimes known as the gentle way) can be achieved through speed and skill rather than strength. Judo will be on a global stage at this summer’s Olympics. Learn more at www.usjudo.org or www.london2012.com/judo.
This post originally appeared as the Go page in the February 2012 issue of Current Health Teens, available now.
100 Ways to Get Up and Go
This is our 100th blog post! To celebrate, we’ve compiled a list of 100 thoughts you can use to Get Up and Go right now. Delight in!
1. Select one of our categories on the right-hand page of the blog, under “GET UP AND GO!” and see what interests you.
photo: IStock
2. Take a hike!
3. Go outside and play football! Or just toss a ball around.
4. Go take a brisk walk and bring a camera to photograph your journey.
5. Set a fitness goal for six months from today. Write down the steps to achieving it and get started on the first one.
6. Gather some friends for a rousing game of boogalah
7. … or kemari
8. … or Hooverball, a sport named after a President!
9. Go bowling with some friends.
10. Find a place to play near you, and go there.
11. Play a game that was made by Native Americans, such as hoop-and-pole. (Or lacrosse!)
photo: Aflo/Corbis
12. Did you see our 99th post? It was about judo, a martial art that people of all sizes delight in.
13. Kickball, hopscotch, Simon Says … ancient-fashioned playground games are still fun.
14. Perhaps you’ll get an thought from these ways to take advantage of winter.
15. Go to the batting cage and hit some baseballs or softballs.
16. Go to the driving range and hit some golf balls.
17. Go for a walk, a jog, or a run.
18. New to running? Check out these tips for getting started.
19. Grab a pool noodle and make up an active game to play with it.
20. Print out the pledge to Get Up and Go, fill it out, and place it somewhere that motivates you to exercise.
21. Then print out our weekly Activity Log. You can fill it in with your exercise every day for a week—then print out another one, and keep going!
22. Go for a bike ride.
23. Can’t ride a bike? Learn how!
24. Learn about synchronized swimming.
25. Pick up a wicket and try cricket!
Photo: C.S. Manish
26. Try one of these ways to exercise with friends.
27. Get in the swing with golf.
28. Meet The Workout Kid.
29. Curious about Korfball? You may already have all the equipment you need.
30. Just hang out.
31. Play an active video game, such as Dance Dance Revolution, Dance Central, or Wii Sports Plus.
32. Do you normally get exercise using a treadmill or other machine that plugs into the wall? Go green by finding an electricity-free way to work out.
33. Choose one of these “outdoor sports for one.”
34. Like movies? Check out the art of film dance.
Photo: IStock
35. Shoot some hoops!
36. Or use a basketball to play one of these games.
37. Two words: Scavenger hunt!
38. Surf the Web. (No, really: you can watch how-to videos about surfing and learn some key moves from the comfort of your home.)
39. Try this “boot camp”-style routine.
40. Try a sport from Ireland, such as Gaelic football.
41. Or learn about the Irish sports hurling or camogie. People call them “the fastest field team sports” around.
42. Ready for the 2012 Summer Olympics? One well loved sport is beach volleyball.
43. Get Up and Go with people you know.
44. Organize a hoop jam.
45. Go fishing. It can be active as well as relaxing.
46. Stop whatever you are doing and get everyone in your house (or classroom) to exercise for five minutes.
47. “Go Your Body!”
48. Add some exercise to your chores.
49. What is the wildest sport you can possibly imagine? Is it this?
50. Go swimming!
51. (Or diving or kayaking or sailing).
52. Earth Day is in April, but you can help the Earth while you get moving any day of the year.
53. Make like it’s spring year-round by trying these thoughts we offered in March 2011.
54. Or pretend it’s summer.
55. See whether there is a Play Day near you. If not, figure out what you’d need to do to start one!
Yosemite National Park. Photo by Richard E. Ellis, www.spinics.net/Yosemite, via Wikimedia Commons
56. Visit a national park.
57. Reckon differently about getting active. Be creative.
58. PLAY BALL! (Baseball or softball, that is.)
59. Set up an indoor circuit training area.
60. Learn about track and field events.
61. Make yourself a Get Up and Go Tote.
62. Work on your flexibility.
63. Design the perfect playground. Find out whether any play places near you fit the bill.
64. Find out what a burpee is.
65. Start a walking club.
66. Go for a ride on a pogo stick!
67. Take the stairs.
68. Find some examples of cardiovascular exercise and try one of them.
69. Rollerskate! (Or try jamskating.)
Photo: Hannibal Hanschke/AFP/Getty Images
70. Got snow? Go out and play in it.
71. No snow? Grab a flying disc and play a game of Ultimate Frisbee.
72. Add a stability ball to your workout.
73. Place on a pedometer and take a walk.
74. Or try Nordic walking (also known as ski walking).
75. Go for yoga.
76. If you’ve read this far, you must be a very motivated person. Here are more hints for you.
77. Find a dance class near you and sign up for it.
78. Jump rope!
79. The sport of curling got a lot of attention during the 2010 Olympics. Not sure what it is? Learn more about it.
Photo: AP Images
80. Grab a broom and play Quidditch, featured in the Harry Potter books.
81. Is there a game or sport played in a book you like? Go and play it.
82. Pick a board game you like and make up new rules that get players moving. (For instance, have players do something after each turn – jumping jacks are an simple one.)
83. Play a game of bocce.
84. Make an obstacle course and give it a run-through.
85. Read about cross-training and choose some ways to do it.
86. Make plans to go somewhere—the library, the store, a friend’s house – and walk, run, bike, or skate there.
87. Juggling + running = joggling.
88. Learn what functional fitness is and try a new way to play musical chairs or tag.
89. Turn on your radio and dance.
90. Learn to ride a skateboard. (Already know how? Go outside and ride!)
91. Hula hoop! You can do this by yourself or have a contest with someone else. See who can keep hooping the longest.
92. Design a game or sport that you might play on another planet or the moon. Then go play it!
93. Turn off your TV and play.
94. Look into orienteering.
95. Take a walk around a historic site near you.
96. Exercise with your family.
Photo courtesy of Hunter Lussi
97. Beach paddleball!
98. Try letterboxing, which is a combination of hiking and treasure hunting.
99. Learn what a triathlon is and how to get started.
100. Still not sure what type of exercise is right for you? Take our “What’s Your Exercise Personality?” quiz!
You read all the way to the end! Fantastic job. Now choose one of the thoughts above and Get Up and Go!
