YMCA CAMPS OF MEDFORD

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1 YMCA CAMPS OF MEDFORD STRENGHTENING THE FOUNDATIONS OF OUR COMMUNITY Programs and Services of YMCA Camps of Medford The YMCA Camps of Medford are proud to introduce a new resource for families in our community, the Healthy Family Home initiative. We understand that health begins at home and we support families in their efforts to build the five pillars that support a healthy family home: EAT HEALTHY, PLAY EVERY DAY,, GO OUTSIDE and SLEEP WELL. The Healthy Family Home initiative includes the material you will find in this booklet, as well as a dedicated website full of resources and is made possible through generous grants from Eli Lilly and Company and South Jersey Industries. We hope you enjoy the program. Below please find a list of other programs and services offered by the YMCA Camps of Medford. We invite you to call us at or visit our website at to find out how we may serve your family. Thank you. Youth Development Lake Stockwell Summer Day Camp, Overnight Camps Ockanickon for Boys, and Camp Matollionequay for Girls Outdoor Education for Schools on 600+ acres of Pinelands facility Weekday and Weekend Retreats for Boy and Girl Scout groups Before & After School Care in Medford, Shamong & Medford Lakes schools One Day Educational Adventure Trips Teen Leadership Programs Healthy Living Healthy Family Home Membership Opportunities Miles of hiking, biking and dog walking trails, boating and fishing, Learn to and Introduction to Programs, summer swim lessons Corporate Team Building Activities Special Events- Oddman Biathlon, Police Benevolent Triathlon, Family Fun Gobbler Run, Mud Run, Blind Awareness Month Walk and Triathlon Social Responsibility Brightfeathers Camp for children and youth affected by AIDS/HIV Camp Little Rock for blind and visually impaired children Camp Firefly bereavement camp Scholarship Opportunities for the range of programs Military Program Discounts for active and reserve personnel

2 ADULT GUI DE Download more tools and At the Y, we are for healthy living. We believe it begins at home. The relationship between adult and child can be the primary source of health in a young person s life and a powerful motivator for adults to build more health into their own lives. Healthy Family Home is a resource full of helpful information, tips and tools to support adults and families in their efforts to practice the art and science of healthy living. We invite you to join the growing communities of families working and playing their way toward a healthier tomorrow. Raising a family is a tough job. You are the primary role model for your children as they grow. They learn how to eat, to play and to connect with others and the world around them by watching how you behave and by learning what you teach them. As they grow and venture out into the world, other children and adults will also guide them, but you will still be the primary guiding force in their lives for a long time. As the adult, you have a powerful influence on eating habits. It is your job and yours alone to determine what foods are purchased and served as well as when and where they are eaten. Through your choices and actions, you are teaching your kids every day what, when, where and how to eat and drink. You also have an important role to fulfill in determining how your kids spend their time while growing up. You are the boss when it comes to whether they are indoors watching television or outside playing in parks. You determine how much time they spend in structured, scheduled activities and how much time they spend creating their own play experiences. If your children are to have positive experiences in the natural world, it is likely that you will be the person guiding them. You are also in charge when it comes to bedtime and can have a tremendous impact on whether your kids are getting the sleep that they need to learn, grow and thrive. You are a role model in all of these things and more. If children see you being active and playful, they will learn to be as well. By watching you move and be active in ways that bring you joy and a sense of play, they can learn that being active is a natural, necessary and even fun part of life. As you explore each of the pillars of a healthy family home, you may be introduced to new ways of thinking and behaving that will require changes if you are to realize the benefits. Change is hard. At the Y, we understand that. On the next page, you will find ten signs of a healthy family home. Chances are, you may be doing some of these things already. That s terrific! You have something to build upon as you try to build new behaviors into your family routine. We encourage you to take small steps and find early opportunities for easy wins. Don t try to change everything all at once. You are going to have both setbacks and victories. Learn from the setbacks and celebrate the victories. Above all, we encourage you to find and explore ways to make the journey toward a healthy family home an enjoyable one.

3 ADULT GUI DE Continued TEN SIGNS OF A H EALTHY FAMILY HOM E 1. Water is the beverage of choice, supplemented by 100% fruit juices and low-fat milk. 2. Fruits or vegetables are served at every meal including some fresh fruit or veggie options daily. 3. Snack time includes foods that contain whole grains and protein instead of saturated and trans fats. 4. Kids and adults are moving and playful for at least an hour per day, outside and together whenever possible. 5. Kids and adults are breaking a sweat at least three times per week for 20 minutes or more. 6. Kids are provided with frequent opportunities to play outdoors in ways that are unstructured and exploratory. Play experiences in nature take place often. 7. The family dines together at least once every day, with kids involved in meal preparation and clean-up. 8. Kids all receive daily one-on-one time with an adult. 9. Television and video game time is limited to two hours per day. 10. Kids and adults keep to a regular schedule that helps everyone get enough sleep. For the kids that means hours per night, and seven - eight for the adults. Here are three steps and some tips for getting started: 1 GET READY Take the How Healthy is your Family? online assessment, and print your results. Explore the website and learn more about the five pillars of a Healthy Family Home. If you d like, sign up for our newsletter to receive new information as it becomes available. Make sure all of the adults in the home are on board with the need for changes, and plan a time to hold your family kick-off huddle. Hold your family kick-off huddle. 2 GET SET Help your kids to draw a picture of what health means to them. Ask your kids to describe their pictures. As a family make a list of words that you associate with health. Choose three to five words that you all agree on as being important to your family. Make a family bulletin board or poster that features those words. Cut out or draw some pictures that represent those concepts and decorate your board or poster. Choose one goal for the coming week and plan out the when, where and how your family is going to work toward that goal. Think about how you will you know if you ve met your goal and what you will do to celebrate achieving it. 3 GO! Start practicing your changes as you work toward your goal. Track your progress on your family bulletin board or refrigerator door. Celebrate your success and hold another family huddle to set an additional goal for the following week. Revisit the Y website to pick up new tips and activities.

4 EAT HEALTHY Choose to Eat Healthy At the Y, we believe that small steps lead to big changes. With a balanced approach, even the busiest of families can discover ways to eat healthier and feel better. Choose Your Drinks with Care A simple way to improve your family s overall health is to explore your approach to fluids by cutting out the drinks with added sugar and adding more water, 100% fruit juice and low-fat milk to your family s diet. If your family is currently used to drinking sugar-sweetened beverages, begin working gradually to replace them with healthier options. Aim for Five a Day The delicious crunch of fruits and veggies can be part of every meal and snack your family enjoys throughout the day and is important for your whole family s health. Everybody needs the vitamins, fiber and minerals that these colorful foods provide in order to grow and stay strong, energetic and free from illness. Stay healthy by reaching for five servings every day. 1. This week, we will each drink a glass of water with dinner. 2. This week, we will each commit to eating a piece of fruit with our lunch. 3. This (day), we will try two new vegetables with dinner. 4. This week, we will commit to eating dinner together at least times. 5. This week we will switch from using whole to 2% milk on our cereal.

5 Great Ways to Play Every Day Play may be the best way to prevent childhood obesity. Put more play into your family s day, and you will soon find yourself getting the activity that will have your family feeling energized and strong. Families at Play for an Hour a Day Playful movement is one of the keys to a healthy family home. It doesn t matter what you choose to do. Just think of all the many choices you have from walking to gardening to vacuuming the carpet, let alone the fun you can have with your kids swimming in a pool, going for a hike, shooting some hoops, or taking a favorite pet for a walk. To get 60 minutes of moderate activity throughout your day just add ten minutes here and fifteen minutes there. Turn It Up a Notch Several times each week, spend a little more energy while moving. Try to engage in vigorous activities at least three times each week for 20 consecutive minutes, but don t worry if five or ten minutes leaves you feeling wiped out at first. Small steps will get you there, so don t overdo it. When the play stops being feeling good, take a break. 1. This week, we will take a 30-minute family bike ride. 2. This week, we will take (#) family walks together around the block. 3. This week, we will attend family swim at the Y on (day). 4. This week, we will walk the dog instead of letting her out into the yard. 5. This week, I will play ball with the kids for 15 minutes when I get home.

6 Take Time to Get Together Strong relationships are one of the cornerstones of health and well-being. Few relationships are as important as those between adults and children when it comes to helping kids learn, grow and thrive. Give the Special Gift of Time Special one-to-one time helps develop and strengthen the important adult-child relationships in a healthy family home. Children need adult time and attention like they need healthy food and playful activity. When it is missing, kids will find other ways to ask for adult time and attention often resulting in negative behavior and stress on the relationship. Most of the time it takes some planning, but the thoughtful gift of your time is one of the things that will help your child learn, grow and thrive. Make Family Time a Priority One of the greatest gifts you can give to your family is the time that you all spend together. In today s world, too many families are go, go, go all of the time resulting in too little time spent together. Try to find an hour a day during which your entire family has an opportunity to connect and share. 1. This week, we will try out family board game night on (day). 2. This week, I will invite my child out on a special date night. 3. This week, I will try to learn three new things about my kids. 4. This week, we will commit to eating dinner together at least times. 5. This week, we will take a 30-minute family bike ride.

7 Go Outside. Grow Outside. Good things happen when we unplug and go outside to play together. Kids and adults benefit from contact with nature as well as unstructured play and exploration. Protect the Right to Play More children than ever are involved in scheduled, structured activities. Children benefit greatly from unstructured play as well. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, free play helps children grow and develop toward important intellectual, emotional, and social milestones along their developmental journey toward healthy teen and adult years. Introduce Children to Nature A growing body of research is pointing to the fact that time spent in contact with nature is good for everyone, but that it is particularly important to the healthy development of children. Nature engages all of the senses, helps children to develop curiosity and creativity, reduces stress and fosters a sense of wonder and a desire to explore and learn. Children who spend time in nature are also more likely to develop a lifelong sense of connection to and concern for the environment. 1. This week, I will take my children to a park to let them play. 2. This week, we will have a family discussion about priorities. 3. This week, we will plant something together. 4. This week, we will do a family nature scavenger hunt. 5. This week, we will take (#) family walks together around the block.

8 Rested and Ready to Grow One of the best ways to raise healthy kids is to make sure they and you get enough sleep. A healthy family depends on it. The More the Better Based on their ages, children need different amounts of sleep. Doctors recommend between 10 and 12 hours per day for kids between the ages of 5 and 12. When children do not get enough sleep it can cause moodiness and impact their ability to learn in school. Additionally, recent studies have found links between sleep and obesity in children. It may seem strange, but the more hours that kids sleep the less likely they are to become obese. Make Rest Your Priority Too Restful sleep also has important short- and long-term health benefits for adults, including a role in maintaining our healthy immune system, metabolism, mood, memory, learning, and other vital functions. Researchers are also beginning to point towards the benefits of sleep for the prevention of heart disease and other chronic conditions. Doctors recommend seven to eight hours per night. 1. This week, I will read one bedtime story to my child each night. 2. This week, we will turn off the TV one hour before bedtime. 3. Three times this week, the adults will be in bed before p.m. 4. Three times this week, the kids will be in bed before p.m. 5. Each day this week, I will not have any caffeine after p.m.

9 PROGRESS TRACKER PICK A NEW HABIT AND FILL IN A STAR EAC H TIME YOU TRY IT. SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY EAT HEALT HY PLAY EVERY DAY GET TOGET HER GO OUTSIDE Learn more at: ymca.net/ HealthyFamilyHome