Four Ways to Bounce Back After the Holidays

The holidays are a time of food, family… And more food. It’s ok to indulge every once in awhile, but getting back in the groove of a healthy lifestyle after the holidays can feel like a drag.

Luckily, family fun can double as a chance to get active. Little dietary changes can make a world of difference in helping you feel your best.

Before you know it, you’ll be in tip-top shape for your Color-A-Thon this spring!

1. Going on a walk? Don’t leave your family behind.

Walks are for everyone, no matter the fitness or ability level, and they’re the ultimate portable exercise that can be done anytime or anywhere. They’re a great option after a heavy Christmas dinner or just as the day begins. Use it as a chance to explore the neighborhood with your kids. If you have a trail nearby, go geocaching together.

2. Play in the snow.

The next time your kids run outside to go play, don’t sit out. Build a snowman. Run and duck during a snowball fight. Walk up a big hill and take a sled ride down. Even throw on a pair of skates and take to the neighborhood skating rink. You’ll have so much fun, you won’t realize that you’re exercising, but you’ll still get your heart pumping and muscles engaged.

3. Don’t be afraid to get back into routine.

Do you normally eat a salad everyday for lunch? Don’t feel pressured to eat the holiday leftovers. Our bodies thrive with routine, and returning to some sense of structure as soon as possible can help you bounce back. In addition, returning to more balanced meals with carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats can keep up your energy instead of letting your blood sugar crash, which holiday meals tend to do. The same goes for your kids - especially as they prepare to get back into their school routines.

4.Get plenty of sleep.

But don’t sleep in. Returning to your typical sleep schedule will help you feel more rested in the long run than if you go to bed late and sleep late in the day. Yours kids might enjoy the added freedom, too, but help them stick to their schedule as much as possible. Scientists recommend turning off electronic devices before bed, because their lights can disrupt your sleep.

For more health and parenting tips and tricks this winter, head to School-A-Thon’s Facebook page!

4 Indoor Activities to Keep Your Kids Active

Winter brings many new outdoor activities, like building snowmen, making forts, and exploring a winter wonderland. Minnesota winters, however, can become is cold that outdoor activities become unwelcome - or even dangerous - for kids.

When the weather outside is dreary and frigid and your kids feel antsy, you may wonder how to get them moving while indoors.

Fortunately, with some common household items, and a little creativity, the fun doesn’t have to stop.

1. Grab the Painter’s Tape

Make lines on the floor for some impromptu hopscotch or long jump. Or, tape different shapes, numbers and letters on the floor and play the shape game. Ask your child to run, hop, skip, jump and crawl to the different spots and learn their numbers and letters along the way!

For younger children, you can tape the door frame in the shape of a sticky spider web, then give your child some newspaper to reach and stick or throw onto the web. It’s great for building motor skills.

2. No Construction set? No Problem!

Take advantage of all those leftover holiday or birthday paper cups and plates and bowls, egg cartons, cardboard tubes and ice cream buckets. They make a great impromptu construction set. The more variety of dishes, the better. Your kids will be building tall towers, fun buildings, castles and more in no time!

As another option for those paper dishes, draw some Xs and Os on the plates instead, tape a blank tic tac toe board on the floor and play a giant game of tic tac toe.

3. Have a Dance Party

Dim the lights, dress up in silly outfits and throw on some fun classics, like disco. Find karaoke songs on YouTube and sing along with your children. It’s a great way to make light of a cold day!

4. Don’t Knock the Classics

So much fun can be had with a simple balloon! Challenge your kids to waddle around the room with a balloon between their knees, without dropping it. Multiple kids can play a three-legged race adaptation with the balloon between their hips and build teamwork.

Another balloon game option with multiple children is hot potato, the game where you don’t let the balloon touch the ground. It seems simple, but it can get competitive fast!


Need to feel inspired? School-A-Thon is all about making things fun. Check out our blog for more tips and tricks, from getting your kids off the couch to family cooking how-tos!

Keep the Winter Blues Away by Staying Fit and Active

We’ve all been there before - especially in the Mid-West. The cold weather blues have become a part of life that often sneaks in unnoticed. As you continue reading, you’ll gain a few tips and tricks on how you and your family can avoid feeling SAD This winter.

Let in the light

Give your kids an added immunity boost by opening the shades! Natural light can offer a variety of health benefits, such as reducing symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder and increasing productivity and energy. In fact, The National Institute Of Health notes that exposure to natural lighting can reduce sick days by roughly 6.5 percent!

Be Active Outdoors

Yes, you read that correctly - there’s no way you’re going to change the weather, so you might as well embrace it! Kids can always find something to do; build a snowman, make a fort, go sledding - there are tons of options. You can always take part in these activities with your kids, or you can learn something new with them. Perhaps Cross-country skiing or snowshoeing is in order. These activities will increase your heart rate and give you a reason to enjoy the scenery.

According to Dr. Emanuel Maidenberg at the Semel institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, physical activity is an effective treatment for mild symptoms of depression. How often should someone get out and get physical? Studies suggest 3-4 times per week is enough to enjoy the benefits.

Eat Smart

Studies show that Vitamin D deficiencies are common in regions that experience harsher winters. To help your family avoid this common ailment (and a few less common ones) try upping your daily dosage of fortified dairy, citrus fruits, and vegetables. Check out this full list of winter superfoods or try a few of these kid-friendly recipes.

Socialize

Even if you’re not feeling all that social, Dr. Maidenberg suggests that spending time with others - even for a little bit - is enough to kick some of your cold weather blues. Plan a play date with other kids and their parents, attend local events, or take an art class as a family. There are plenty of ways to socialize during the winter; some just require a bit more research!

Like everything else that’s worthwhile, this takes some effort -but don’t fret! It can be done one reassuring step at a time. You’ll notice your mood change significantly after trying out one of these tips - beyond that point, everything meshes well together. Here’s to a happy and healthy new year from all of us at School-A-Thon!

Help Your Kids Make New Year's Resolutions Worth Keeping

How many times have you made a New Year’s resolution with the best of intentions only for it to fall through by Valentine’s Day? Committing to resolutions is never an easy feat, but it’s not impossible. Here are some tips to help your family make New Year’s resolutions worth sticking to this year.

Be mindful about resolutions and goals.  It’s important to talk about goals in a healthy way. As your family is discussing resolutions, have them think about the resolutions they are picking and discuss what successful-resolution keeping would mean to them. Focus on the positive of both past and future goals - a little optimism will go a long way. Pick healthy resolutions that will help them with long-term goals (i.e. “I will practice reading every night so I can read bigger books and expand my vocabulary). For healthy New Year’s resolution ideas for kids of all ages, check out this list from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Model resolution habits. It is important to have a ‘practice what you preach’ mentality as you are helping your kids keep their resolutions. This well help you stay accountable for your own resolutions and help instill a sense of responsibility in your child.

Everything is easier with a buddy. For many, buddying up with a sibling, parent, or friend makes sticking to a resolution a little bit easier. Consider making a family resolution, be it volunteering more often, cooking at home more often, or planning a family trip together. Resolutions can help bring your family closer together.

Set goals that help others. Kindness is the gift that keeps giving so it’s never too late to help your child set an altruistic resolution. Have your child make it a goal to help their school and organizations raise money through fundraising. You can learn more about the many kinds of fundraisers that Schoolathon offers in the links below:

Entrance Fee-Based Color-A-Thon Event

Donation-Based Color-A-Thon Event

“It’s Your Thon” School-A-Thon Event

Keeping resolutions successfully takes hard work, dedication, and commitment, but teaching your child that their hard work and commitment pays off is a glorious thing. Start the New Year with a clean slate and welcome all the possibilities to come.

Holiday Themed Color-A-Thon

Have you ever had problems creating a fun fundraising event in during the winter season? There’s no need to keep your event contained to four walls when you have the option of keeping warm with a School-A-Thon run! Traditional events like our Color-A-Thon runs are a great option for holiday fundraisers, but we have some fun holiday ideas that can spice up your fundraising while keeping you and your fellow fundraisers active in the great outdoors.

Promote Jolly Joggers

Grab your favorite reindeer and put on your Santa hat for a fun filled Christmas run. You can entice people to dress up in their best Christmas costumes by giving out prizes for best Santa, Elf, Reindeer etc. Don’t forget to put out snacks at the finish line for all the festive participants. Have a table that has milk and cookies for the Santa’s along with some healthy carrots for the reindeer.

Image by Michael Dorausch via Flickr

Break out the Beards...

Another fun idea that are along the same lines is to provide your runners with Santa hats and beards and have them dress the part. Not only will your runners be festive, but it will draw attention to your cause to see a pack of Santa’s running down the streets of the run.

Image by DebMomOf3 via Flickr

...And the Ugly Sweaters

Why not put a twist on a classic holiday party with an ugly Christmas sweater themed run? Encourage participants to get creative with their sweaters and have the ultimate ugly sweater ready to give away as a prize.

Candy All the Way

Show your Christmas cheer with a candy cane run. Line the race trail with candy canes and holiday decorations instead of cones and have a couple ready to give away to participants. You could also have a gingerbread making station and hot chocolate to get supporters involved.

The Reason for the Season

The Holiday season is a great time to give back to those in need. You could set up a toy drive or food drive at the race where people can bring a toy for kids or canned food for those families who can not afford meals.

There are plenty of ideas to keep your fundraising fun this holiday season, it’s up to you to choose! Visit Schoolathon.org for more ideas on taking your “THON” from bland to grand this holiday season and all winter long!

Winter Fun: Keep your Kids Active this Winter

It is no secret that winter is cold. Many people even choose to avoid the winter wonderland outside their doorstep as much as possible. Although cuddling by the fire while drinking hot-cocoa is a joyful winter activity, there are also many outdoor activities to do that will get your blood pumping and keep you warm! This winter, we suggest that you embrace the chilled snow and plan some fun family outings that include actually being OUTside.

Here is a short list of our favorite activities to do in the winter:

1. Building a Snowman

Creating your own Jack Frost or Olaf in the front of your yard is something your kids will be proud of. When you are finished, snuggle up to the classic Jack Frost movie, or the new hit Frozen and relax after a project well done.

 

 

2. Sledding

Grab your toboggan or snow tube, find the biggest hill in the neighborhood and fly to the bottom of the hill. You and your kids will be having so much fun, you won’t even notice the calories you are burning when you climb back up to the top.

3. Snowball Fight

Is your child a softball, baseball or football star in the making? A snowball fight is a sure way to help them work on their aim and hit their favorite target: you.

4. Snow-Tubing

If there is a ski resort in the area, bring your kids out tubing for the day. It is a fun time for the whole family- and you will have a tow rope to drag you back up the hill.

5. Skiing or Snowboarding

Teaching your kids how to ski or snowboard at a young age is a great way to teach them balance, coordination and patience. They might not get the hang of it right away, but as they improve, it will make them proud of their persistence and accomplishments.

6. Making a Snow Fort

You’ve made plenty of forts in the living room involving couches, blankets, lamps and the TV,  but have you made a snow fort yet? Once you are finished, climb on in. You may not think it, but it is actually warmer huddling under that mound of snow.

7. Shoveling

Although this may not seem very fun, by adding an incentive to this winter chore, your kids will be fighting over who gets to shovel the sidewalk or driveway after each snowfall! The best part? You won’t have to do it!

These are just a few of our ideas at School-A-Thon, and there are definitely many more! Get out there this winter and have some fun in the snow. Remember to dress warm with a hat, mittens, snowpants and jacket when you partake in one of these fun activities. Stay tuned to our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for more fun winter ideas! Do you have any more fun ideas to stay active in the winter? We would love to hear them in the comments below!