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Five Ways to Get Kids Outside and Moving: A Fun Guide for Grown-ups

Hey there, super parents and grownups! We all know how challenging it can be to pry kids away from their screens and get them moving. But fear not, we’ve got you covered with five exciting ways to get your little ones outside and moving. So, let’s dive right in!

1. Embrace the Elements

First things first, let’s break the barrier of the indoors. Tell your kids it’s okay to get wet, dirty, and messy. Remember those childhood days when jumping in puddles was the highlight of a rainy day? Let’s bring that back! Whether it’s building snowmen in winter or having water fights in summer, embracing the elements is a surefire way to get kids excited about the great outdoors.

2. Nature Scavenger Hunts

Next up, we have nature scavenger hunts. This activity is a fantastic way to combine fun and learning. Create a list of items for your kids to find, like a specific type of leaf, a pinecone, or a feather. This encourages exploration and observation, and the sense of accomplishment they’ll feel when they find all the items is priceless!

3. Backyard Camping

Who said you need to travel miles for a camping adventure? Transform your backyard into a mini camping site. Set up a tent, roast marshmallows, and tell stories under the stars. This is not only a fun activity but also a great way to introduce your kids to the joys of camping.

4. Get Creative with “Outdoor” Equipment

Invest in some outdoor equipment like a sandbox, water table, or swing set. These provide hours of fun and encourage physical activity. You could also consider setting up a mini obstacle course or a DIY slip ‘n slide for some added excitement.  Or better yet, use things you already have around the house that usually only live inside and take them outside for a day.  The novelty will be sure to get your kids interested in getting in on the fun!

5. Start a Mini Entrepreneurial Venture

Last but not least, why not start a mini entrepreneurial venture with your kids? This could be a lemonade stand, a mini garage sale, or even a plant sale from your home garden. This not only gets them outside but also teaches them valuable lessons about hard work, money management, and communication.

Bonus Tip: Parents, Be the Change You Want to See!

Alright, parents, it’s time for a little heart-to-heart. We’ve talked a lot about getting the kids moving, but let’s not forget about us, the adults in the room. We’re part of this equation too!

Remember, our kids are always watching us (a little creepy, but true!). They’re like little sponges, soaking up everything we do. So, if we’re glued to our screens all day, guess what they’ll want to do? Yep, you guessed it, the same!

So, let’s lead by example and show them how it’s done. Here are a few fun ways we can model healthy outdoor behavior:

1. Family Fitness Challenges: How about a friendly competition? Set up a weekly family fitness challenge. It could be anything from who can do the most jumping jacks to who can run the fastest lap around the park. The winner gets to choose the next family outing!

2. Nature Walks: Take a stroll around your neighborhood or local park. Make it a daily routine. You can even turn it into a learning experience by identifying different types of trees, birds, or bugs.

3. Gardening: Start a family garden. It’s a great way to spend time outdoors, plus you get the added bonus of fresh fruits and veggies. It can be as easy as planting a pea seed in a small pot and watching it grow to a whole side of your backyard turned into a space for nourishing your family. Win-win!

4. Outdoor DIY Projects: Have a home improvement project? Get the kids involved. Whether it’s painting the fence or building a birdhouse, it’s a great way to get everyone outside and working together.

5. Screen-Free Time: Set aside specific times during the day when everyone, including you, puts away their devices. Use this time to play a game, have a picnic, or just enjoy each other’s company.

Remember, the goal is to make outdoor activities fun and engaging. So, don’t stress too much about the details. The most important thing is that your kids are moving, exploring, and most importantly, enjoying themselves. So, let’s get those kids outside and moving!

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Seasonal Allergies

Spring is a beautiful season, but for many people, it also means the onset of seasonal allergies. These allergies are caused by an overreaction of the immune system to allergens such as pollen, dust mites, and animal dander, which trigger the release of histamine in the body. This histamine response leads to symptoms like sneezing, coughing, itchy eyes, and runny nose.

If you’re someone who suffers from seasonal allergies, you may find that certain foods can also trigger your symptoms. This is because the gut and immune system are closely connected, and food sensitivities can lead to extra histamine production that exacerbates allergy symptoms. The microbiome (or all the bacteria that inhabit your GI tract) also produce histamine and are affected by it!  There is a large connection between the gut, the brain and the microbiome that influences your experience of histamine induced responses – ie, allergy symptoms.  By noticing these the foods that tend to cause you more issues and avoiding high histamine foods, you may be able to reduce the severity of your allergy symptoms.

Download a free handout on high histamine foods and low histamine foods!

There are many natural remedies that can help alleviate allergy symptoms, including homeopathic remedies. One such remedy is Allium cepa, which is made from onions and can help relieve symptoms like watery eyes and a runny nose. Another remedy is Sabadilla, which is made from the seeds of the Cevadilla plant and can help with sneezing and itchy eyes.  Not sure what homeopathic remedy might be right for you?  Schedule a homeopathic consult with Dr. Herrst today and devise a plan for your unique symptoms!

Other natural remedies include quercetin, a bioflavonoid found in many fruits and vegetables that can help stabilize mast cells and reduce histamine release. Probiotics, which help support gut health and the immune system, can also be helpful in reducing allergy symptoms.  Remember to include naturally anti-histamine foods in your diet as well!

If you’re struggling with seasonal allergies, there is hope with digging deeper into your unique experience and formulating a plan just for you. With the right support, you can find relief and enjoy all that spring has to offer!

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Nervous System Reset

“Breathwork” may be getting a lot of buzz lately, but it doesn’t have to be as complicated as it’s made out to be and you don’t necessarily need to go to a class or find a teacher to do it (though there can be benefit to a guided experience if you have a lot of trauma / stress to work on – ask for a referral to a qualified breathwork provider!)

Also, is breathwork really as effective as it could be if the signals to and from your brain are being interfered with by joint dysfunction in your spine or other joints? This is especially true in your mid-back, or thoracic spine, where your parasympathetic nerve cell bodies are mostly housed.

Your parasympathetic nervous system1 is what signals and controls the “Rest and Digest” functions of your body, such as digesting food, rebuilding muscle tissue and optimizing fertility, as opposed to your sympathetic nervous system2 which you may know as the “Fight or Flight” system. If your midback is anything like most American’s, it has plenty of forward curve from sitting at a computer, looking at a phone, tending to small children and even standing at a kitchen counter preparing meals. There are a thousand and one ways that we keep ourselves in a perpetually rounded forward posture most days, which can create joint dysfunction in your mid-back between spinal joints and rib joints. Where your ribs connect to your spine (a costovertebral joint) are joints that never get a break from movement – thanks, breathing! No really, we want you to be able to take a deep breath in and out.

Not that most people do though! Most people breath with only the upper 1/3 of their chest and lung field, missing out on a huge portion of lung tissue and possible oxygen/carbon dioxide exchange. Now add on other repetitive activities, think typing, driving, sitting in a chair a certain way and you may have a recipe for mid-back joint dysfunction, which can then lead to nervous system dysregulation. This may show up for you as low-level general anxiety that you can’t put your finger on, foggy minded afternoons, slower digestion, feeling more irritable and many other troublesome symptoms.

What to do? Find a breathwork guru to take a class from while you’re trying to juggle the demands of work, kids, partner, extended family and the elusive “self-care” you’re supposed to be doing? How about simply taking a deeper breath to the bottom of your lung field and actually making those costovertebral joints move more and bring in more oxygen? Yes, even while you’re sitting there in your chair. Now repeat that 4 more times. You’ve just done a nervous system reset without needing to go anywhere and with a whole host of benefits – like decreased anxiety, improved vagus nerve tone (your vagus nerve is really important – more on that in the next blog post!), sending more oxygen to your brain and improving your mood!3

Want to level up even more? Pair some daily deeper breathing with a monthly chiropractic adjustment to keep all those midback and rib joints moving well and your nervous system will be ready to handle to 1353 emails in your inbox, kids’ sports practice schedule and planning your summer vacations!

REFERENCES:

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What are the Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy®?

In the fall of 2021, I spent a week in the beautiful mountains of southern New Hampshire becoming a certified practitioner of the Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy®, a holistic healing technique to address digestive, pelvic and abdominal issues through massage, bodywork, herbs and other supportive modalities.

I’m ecstatic that at the end of March 2022, I have been invited to travel to Taos, New Mexico to deepen my understanding and experience in this work by attending the Pregnancy and Post-partum Advanced Techniques course!

This beautiful work, the legacy of the long-time collaboration between Dr. Rosita Arvigo and Don Eligio Panti, a traditional Maya healer (H’Men or Doctor-Priest) of Belize, seeks to improve the five systems of flow to tissues of the abdominal, pelvic and low back regions, including oxygen-rich arterial blood flow, oxygen-depleted venous blood flow, lymph tissue flow, nerve conduction flow and energy flow or chulel. It incorporates herbal support, self-care massage, steam baths and counseling on nutrition and stress-relief practices.

Arvigo® therapy marries beautifully with the chiropractic techniques I already employ to help patients feel their best and complements the other pelvic techniques I’ve learned with Holistic Pelvic Care and the Institute for Birth Healing.

The following list of conditions may be improved or assisted with Arvigo® therapy:

  • Painful menstrual periods
  • Irregular menstrual cycle
  • Infertility
  • Pelvic pain associated with pregnancy
  • Pelvic organ prolapse
  • Pelvic inflammatory disease
  • Male and female incontinence
  • Prostate issues and BPH
  • Endometriosis
  • Constipation
  • Bloating
  • GERD
  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome
  • Low back pain
  • Coccyxdynia

Initial appointments are 1.5 hours to go over a specific abdominal and pelvic history, perform the treatment and teach self-care massage techniques.

Follow-up appointments are one hour and are scheduled on a case-by-case basis.

Schedule an initial appointment today!