Getting active
Our very own silver sista Rohanee Cox shares some suggestions on being more active and raising healthy kids.
Hi, I’m Rohanee Cox, basketballer for the Australian Opals and silver medal winner at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
As an elite athlete, it’s really important for me to stay in top shape for myself and for my team. But it’s even more important for me to stay healthy for my beautiful daughter.
As a parent, I know how important it is to make sure my daughter grows up strong and healthy. This means making sure she eats well and gets enough physical activity, but it also means making sure I set the right example by living a healthy life.
- How much physical activity do I need?
- How can I be more active?
- We’re all in this together – exercise with friends or family
- Be active as a family
- Eat for Life – make food fun for kids
- Lunch Time! Healthy lunch ideas for kids
- Rohanee's Tips
How much physical activity do I need?
You don’t need to be training for hours a day to be healthy. Just aim for 30 minutes or more of moderate physical activity on most or all days of the week.Moderate physical activity will cause a slight but noticeable increase in your breathing and heart-rate – give yourself the talk test – if you struggle to talk your heart rate is up. Examples include a brisk walk, a swim, a bike ride, mowing the lawn or even some housework!
You can even break up your physical activity into smaller periods of around 10 to 15 minutes and make it up to a total of 30 minutes over the day. For instance, walk the kids to school in the morning, and then walk to pick them up again in the afternoon.
Kids need at least an hour or more of physical activity every day.
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How can I be more active?
There are so many ways to bring more physical activity into your life, but the most important thing to remember is that you need to do things that work for you. If you don’t enjoy it, you’re not going to keep it up! Your local council should have information about a Community Sport and Recreation Centre near you that may have a program or group exercise that suits you, like a walking group.Even the smallest things can make a difference – get off the bus one stop earlier and walk the rest of the way. Walk or cycle instead of using the car for short trips, walk the kids to school, or join in a game at the park with your kids instead of just watching, or do some gardening.
Get into the habit of being more active more often, and you’ll soon be feeling the benefits!
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We’re all in this together – exercise with friends or family
Why not rope in some friends or family to help you in your goals? Start meeting up for regular walks or traditional games instead of coffee. There’ll still be plenty of time for a yarn, but you’ll be getting some physical activity while you do it!Group physical activities and team sports are great ways to stay motivated. If there aren’t any group fitness classes or team sports in your area, why not start one up?
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Be active as a family
Spending time as a family is always important, but spending time together as an active, healthy family is even better!I always try to make some active play time for my daughter. Sometimes after school we’ll head down to the park together and throw some hoops, or we’ll go for a bike ride around town together.
Skipping rope is great physical activity, as is jumping on a trampoline. Love it!
Why not have a family game of footy together, or walk the family dog? It’s all fun and it’s all good for you!
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Eat for Life – make food fun for kids
There are lots of ways you can make healthy food appealing to your kids.Why not try a fruit kebab? They’re colourful and fun. Get some strawberries, cube some melon and peel and cut some oranges. Then stick ‘em on a kebab-stick one by one. It tastes great, and it’s fun to eat. Try any combination of fruit.
You can also make vegie kebabs to put on the barbecue!
Another great idea is a fruit smoothie. Put some low-fat milk, some ice and fruit such as banana and strawberries into a blender. Whiz it all together and you’ve got a yummy (healthy) drink!
Pop a toasted wholegrain muffin topped with tomato sauce, sliced tomato and low-fat cheese under the grill. It’s a great after school snack.
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Lunch Time! Healthy lunch ideas for kids
I always make sure I prepare my daughter a healthy lunch and snack that she can take to school.Here are some suggestions that I follow when I’m making her lunch:
- Use wholegrain or wholemeal bread for sandwiches. Or, for something different, try pita bread, Lebanese bread or muffins.
- Don’t use butter or margarine, and avoid fatty fillings like creamy cheese spreads, processed meats (e.g. spam or bologna). Try a thin layer of low fat cream cheese or avocado instead.
- Lean meat sandwich fillings are a great way to get more protein into their diet. Try tuna, lean ham, chicken or turkey breast slices.
- Make sure there are plenty of fruit and vegies in there! An apple is always good, as are mandarins, oranges and bananas.
- Carrot and celery sticks are easy to make, and great to munch on. Cherry tomatoes can be sweet and juicy.
- Cheese sticks are also a great snack and good for building healthy teeth and bones.
- A boiled egg is an easy, healthy snack to pack and carry.
- Water is the best drink for young fellas.
- You can also include an ice pack to keep the lunch box cool.
Rohanee's Tips
Tip 1
Being more active means looking out for opportunities to get some physical activity. Need something from the shops? Walk there or ride your bike instead of driving. Kids driving you nuts? Take them down to the park for a game of footy. Dog barking? Take it for a walk!Tip 2
Stuck at home? A cheeky way to get more physical activity into your day is to play your favourite music while you’re cleaning the house or doing the washing. Choose something upbeat and you’ll be dancing your way around the house in no time!Tip 3
Want to sneak vegies into your kids’ meals? Grate some zucchini or carrot into a pasta sauce or use a peeler to make extra thin slices of cucumber for sandwiches.Tip 4
Kids will be more likely to eat fruit and vegies if it’s already cut for them and ready to eat. Have some carrot and celery sticks and sliced fruit ready for them when they get home from school!Top of Page
