5 Tips For Keeping Your Children Active And Healthy During The COVID-19 Pandemic

Since the start of the year, the coronavirus pandemic has spread across the world and the United States, changing how we live our day to day lives. With schools closing and children having to stay at home, many families have struggled to keep their kids entertained during these unprecedented times.

With the summer vacation now in full swing, you may be left pondering how to keep your children occupied. To help, here are 5 useful tips that will ensure your kids stay happy and healthy throughout the pandemic and beyond. 

Encourage Outdoor Play 

Getting outdoors and encouraging your children to play outside can do wonders for their mental and physical health. While pandemic restrictions are starting to lift, many parents are still anxious to have their kids play with others, so you may prefer to limit outdoor play to your backyard, helping to create a safe environment for your children. If you live close to a park, there are tons of outdoor sports that your kids can partake in, such as soccer, baseball and softball. 

Limit Screen Time 

For many parents, social media can be both a blessing and a curse. If your children use platforms like Facebook and Instagram, it’s important that they don’t spend all their vacation behind a screen. While televisions and smartphones may act as a distraction when you need to get on with things, your children won’t gain any health benefits, so make sure that you establish boundaries and limit screen times. Doing so can help improve your child’s sleep, concentration and reduce eyestrain. 

Get Creative 

With a lot more time on your hands, thinking outside the box and getting creative with games and activities will help keep your children active and occupied during these unsettling times. Your imagination can run free, so thinking of fun games that keep things interesting will reduce the risk of your child throwing a tantrum. Many children love being independent, so whether you do an arts and crafts session, or a jigsaw, give your child some responsibility and an opportunity to think on their own two feet. 

Join In 

If you have one child or your children are constantly fighting, joining in on the fun and being involved in activities can provide enormous health benefits for you too. Regular exercise is important for all ages, helping to lower blood pressure, stay positive, and increase energy levels. 

There are also virtual physical activity programs that your child can participate in from home, which can help keep them active and healthy. 

Be There For Support 

Your child’s mental health is just as important, so if you have noticed any changes in their behavior, make sure that you’re on hand to provide constant love, support and reassurance. Your child may feel reluctant to open up at first, so it’s your job as a parent to let them know that you’re there for them during the pandemic and beyond. 

As a parent, it’s only natural that your children are your number one priority. Depending on the age of your children, they may not be able to process what is going on, so keeping everything as normal as can be is crucial for their health and development. All the tips listed above will ensure that your child’s mental and physical health are not compromised during the pandemic.

Why Teens Should Develop A Habit Of Regular Exercise

From eating healthy meals to practicing good oral hygiene, it is essential to develop good habits while you are still young. 

Why? 

First, the earlier you pick up a good habit, the more likely you will adhere to it when you get old. By laying the groundwork today, you will be able to build strong foundations for success later in life. 

Second, habits, whether good or bad, are difficult to break when you get old. This is because every time you perform a particular habit, your brain is rewarded with the release of dopamine. 

Why You Should Start Exercising Now 

Whether you are planning to enter the medical field or you have aspirations to become a model, it is crucial for you to start exercising now. 

Developing fitness is not just for athletes or teens who want to get discovered as models. Picking up the habit of exercising regularly will translate to heaps of benefits today and when you grow old. 

These include: 

· Weight Management 

With the combination of a sensible diet and adequate rest, regular exercise allows you to lose and keep off excess weight. This ensures that you are well within your normal weight range. 

· Muscle Development 

As you engage in regular exercise, you develop stronger muscles. And the stronger your muscles are, the more calories you burn, even while at rest. 

· Stronger Bones 

Even moderate weight-bearing exercise like walking and running are sufficient to develop bone mass and health. 

· Healthier Skin 

Exercising improves skin health in two ways. First, it aids in the removal of toxins through the skin. Second, it helps improve blood circulation, allowing oxygen to reach the skin, giving it a nice glow. 

· Reduced Stress 

Between your studies, home life, and social life, you can be subjected to stress. By exercising regularly, you can minimize the production of stress hormones in your body. Exercise also stimulates the production of hormones that can enhance your mood. 

· Sharper Brain 

Exercising facilitates the optimal flow of blood to different organs, including your brain. And the more blood and nutrients flow into your brain, the sharper it becomes. 

How Much Exercise Do Teens Need? 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) news story, kids aged between five and 17 should engage in physical activities for about an hour daily. This amount is more than enough to provide you with the benefits associated with exercise. 

WHO also recommends that teens engage in both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities. 

Getting Started 

For teens, exercising does not necessarily mean joining a gym. Simple activities, like walking to and from the school, walking the dog, playing sports, or riding a bike are often sufficient to provide you with benefits. 

The critical thing to remember is to accumulate an hour's worth of physical activity every other day. Find something that you enjoy and you will be more likely to develop the habit of moving and exercising. 

Apart from these, you can engage in other activities that count as exercise. 

For example, playing sports is an excellent way to exercise. Whether you are playing a pickup game of basketball with your pals, swimming in the community swimming pool, or even brisk walking around the neighborhood, you can combine exercise with something enjoyable. 

Resistance training, on the other hand, focuses more on the development and strengthening of your bones and muscles. These exercises include lifting weights and bodyweight exercises like pushups and air squats. You can perform these exercises two to three times a week, with a day's rest in between. 

Things To Avoid 

Generally speaking, exercise is beneficial for teens. However, there are some things that you should avoid. 

The first thing you should probably avoid is powerlifting and competitive bodybuilding. Unless you have a coach available to teach proper form and guide, it is best to avoid these exercises. These exercises are challenging to execute with proper form and can leave you vulnerable to injuries. 

Another thing that you should avoid is overtraining. It might feel good to see noticeable changes in your body. However, your body also needs enough time to rest and recover. Too much exercise can lead to injuries and set back your gains. 

Finally, do not set unrealistic goals. Over time, you will see changes in your body, but progress cannot be rushed. Set a realistic goal for yourself and work toward that goal, slowly but steadily. 

Beyond Exercise With Frugal Fitness

Exercise is just one of the main building blocks of building a healthy mind and body. Remember to eat and hydrate well, and set aside enough time to relax, rest, and recover. 

Soon, as teenagers and young adults develop the habit of exercising, fit teens will see noticeable changes in their bodies. MyFrugalFitness.com is here to help youths and teens get in better shape and keep that level of fitness throughout their lives!

Adam Jacobs is the Managing Director of Bubblegum Casting, the longest running PR agency specializing in babies, children and teen talent in Australia. Bubblegum Casting works with some of Australia's biggest brands, media properties and agencies to secure talented children to work in Television, Film and Modelling roles.

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Teen Six Pack Abs and Better Biceps? Your Questions Answered!

Your Question:
Hey Frugal Fitness Just got a question for you. I used to do some small work outs at home about a year ago for a six pack i tried a few different sit ups and all but nothing was working? You have great abs so this should be a easy question for you . I am 15 i have good calves and back but i need a lot of work on my abs and biceps :D

Frugal Fitness Answer:
Well my friend, there are a few issues that need to be addressed to maximize your physique results. Achieving defined muscles is a byproduct of both building up muscle mass through resistance training and nutrition, and removing as much bodyfat between the muscle tissue and the skin through overall physical activity and dieting. First off, since you are a 15 year old male  you will most likely have a very high metabolism since you are in a crazy biological growth stage. This will help to reduce your bodyfat and usually teenagers have a good amount of energy (and time) for physical activity. That being said, your testosterone levels and muscle mass capacity aren't going to be as high as somebody in their early-mid 20's so you won't be able to put on massive amounts of muscle in your biceps etc. Also, because your growth plates, tendons, and ligaments are still developing, you do not want to lift too heavy, intensely, or frequently so your muscles do not develop out of proportion with your other connective tissue. This could lead to tears, inflammation, growth plate injuries, stunted growth, and other problems.

You also mention that you tried a few situp type exercises and it didn't seem like you did them for a very long period of time while expecting results. Now I'm not the most patient person, and I was even less patient when I was 15 years old, but it does take time to put on muscle and burn bodyfat. It takes the average person about a week to burn a pound of bodyfat if they are doing everything right, and usually much longer to add on a pound of lean muscle. Because of your age, you could probably burn bodyfat more quickly but not necessarily put on muscle mass very fast. It can take a few months or longer but try to follow some of the recommendations I have listed below to maximize results and minimize time and injury risk.

What I would recommend is that you do weight training 3 times a week, 30-45 minutes each time, at a repetition range of 12-15 reps per set and around 30-60 seconds between exercises. You can do 3 total body workouts a week, or 1 upper / 1 lower / 1 total body workout, or 1 chest / tricep / deltoid, 1 upper back, bicep, and 1 legs / abs workout per week. All of these are effective options or you could alternate. But the key is, don't lift much more often than that so you don't risk overtraining.

You can work biceps up to 1 day hard per week, and 1 day light-moderate per week for optimal muscle growth and recovery. Make sure you do not straight at the elbow, wrist, or shoulder or do cheat reps on your curls by leaning backwards or laterally. Regular dumbbell bicep curls, hammer curls, preacher curls, chinups, bent over rows reverse grip, underhand cable rows, and other similar exercises are all good options. For abs, 1-2x a week is fine, I usually just encourage 10-15 minutes of several different types of ab, oblique, and lower back exercises in a row without stopping for smaller leaner and more enduring abdominal muscle fiber stimulation. Try including russian twists, alternating heel taps, crunches, twisting crunches, V-ups (if you can), planks, side bridges, and leg raises along with lower back exercises of hip bridges, supermans, quadripeds, and skydivers. You can do abs on your total body days, lower body days, or on your cardio days.

Also do 3-4 days a week of different forms of cardio to help reduce more bodyfat while keeping enough variety to avoid overtraining or hitting plateaus in your progress. An example would be run 1 day, bike another day, elliptical a 3rd day, and play basketball for an hour on a 4th day. If you just ran each day it would be the same repetitive microtrauma on your joints which could translate into chronic injuries like Ausgood Schlauter, stress fractures, shin splints, or tendonitis. Also make sure you are eating lots of protein, minimal sugar and junk food, drinking plenty of water, eating lots of fruits and vegetables, and getting in enough sleep. Protein powder or supplements aren't necessary for your age, I certainly got plenty of results without them when I was 15. Hope this all helps!

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Teen Abs and Muscle Building: Your Questions Answered!

Question:
Hey I'm only a teen and I'm trying to get abs. What would the best exercise for the abs and building muscles?

Frugal Fitness Answer:
Take a look at my Ab Workout YouTube vid ( YouTube Channel is http://youtube.com/MyFrugalFitness )  for your midsection and preventing lower back injury (I used to have lower back pain lifting too heavy as a teen because I didn't do these exercises enough). You don't want to do all ab and oblique work and no lower back and posterior muscle work, gotta keep things in balance. Teens should focus on light-moderate weights, moderate repetitions, excellent form, free weights/cables, and avoid working through any joint pain. Eat a ton! You are growing and your metabolism is as fast as it will ever be, you gotta stoke the fire with many meals throughout the day. Also, check out my YouTube chest workout, Trapezius workout, and my future upper back workouts. I also have an eBook called The Frugal Workout on Amazon.com for $4.99 which has tons of workouts, exercise illustrations, and lifting tips for all teens and all ages/levels. Hope this helps, best of luck!

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I hope you enjoyed this article about how to live healthier on a frugal budget and maximize your performance!

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