A local Physical Education teacher has been working with
UCLA on a study that encourages children to stay active during summer months
while school is out.
Martin Wurmlinger is that physical education teacher and he
is working with the University of California in Los Angeles’ Sound Body Sound Mind
organization. He has stressed that “getting out and finding an activity that
keeps [kids] moving and raises heart rate levels” is the most important thing a
child can do to keep healthy during the summer months.
While the simple task of raising heart rate levels is important
in Mr. Wurmlinger’s opinion he offers a five-pronged approach to maximize a
child’s athletic performance. The five important areas to focus on are: muscle strength,
heart endurance, muscle endurance, flexibility, and body composition.
There are various ways to tackle these areas of athletic
performance.
To fight the summer heat Mr. Wurmlinger suggests that
children exercise in a pool, if they have access to one. Swimming can activate
more than one of these five core areas of athletic competency.
Another full-body exercise that the organization from UCLA
suggests is the burpee. With these exercise your child will start in a standing
position, squat into a plank position, then jump into the air from that plank.
You can find out more how to do a burpee in THIS YouTube video.
Finally, one of Mr. Wurmlinger’s most unique ideas is to
give your child a pedometer. You and your child should sit down at a map and
find a location that is far way that your child might like to travel to. This
could be Disney World, China, or maybe even around the world. Determine how far
in miles these locations are from your front door and have your child try and
travel this distance on his or her pedometer over the course of the summer, or
even year. This gives children a goal, something to strive towards.
It’s easy to let your kids stare at the TV screen or play
video games all summer long. This summer we suggest that you take some of the
advice that the Sound Body Sound Mind organization have presented in this new
study and get your kid moving.
To learn more about Mr. Wurmlinger’s project and the Sound
Body Sound Mind organization you can find their website HERE.