Kid FitnessTag:

35 Fit, Fun and Mostly Free Activities for Kids
Posted on by Caryn Sullivan Posted in Mommy Matters, Kid Fitness, Active Lifestyle, Features

35 Fit, Fun and Mostly Free Activities for Kids

Growing up in the 80’s, it wasn’t hard to be active. Because social media didn’t exist and phones didn’t have call waiting, if I wanted to see my friends, I ran around the neighborhood to find them. If I couldn’t wait to share a big girly secret, I would walk miles to tell my gal pals or show up at their camp activities.

Today, kids of all ages (and I’m speaking of myself, too) often use technology as their main tool to socialize and communicate. As a result, we don’t have as many opportunities to be active as we once did. While I do enjoy the conveniences and pizzazz of our multi-media lives, I want to be sure to instill a love of activities filled with personal interaction for my son. In an effort to practice what I preach, here is a list of activities to keep a kid (and his mother) fit while having fun. We’ve updated this list from a few years ago, knowing that with COVID-19 restrictions, many families are still looking for interactive activities to enjoy together.

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Creative Ways to Exercise with Kids on WTNH
Posted on by Caryn Sullivan Posted in Kid Fitness, Fitness, Active Lifestyle, Features, Clean Living CT

Creative Ways to Exercise with Kids on WTNH

Remember the days when you slept until noon, grabbed lunch mid-day, and leisurely headed to the gym or social activity?

Or how about the years when your schedule revolved around “must see tv.”

I’m laughing at myself, knowing that life was much easier for me back in college or earlier in my career, yet I still made excuses why I couldn’t exercise. Some of them included:

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50 Children’s Books that Promote Fitness
Posted on by Caryn Sullivan Posted in Kid Fitness, Books/Film, Active Lifestyle, Features, Mommy Matters

50 Children’s Books that Promote Fitness

I was a horrible child athlete, the second to worst player on my elementary school softball team. During a 6th grade basketball game, I think I made a basket for the other team, too. Despite my lack of talent with hand-eye coordination, I was an active child. I spent many years participating in track-and-field and dance lessons. Though decades have passed since my childhood, I’m still excited to run races and take dance classes. Knowing that kids today are often immersed in video games and constantly connected to gadgets, I hope to instill my life-long love of fitness to my son. Being a role model is key, so I do my best to create family fun and fit opportunities throughout the year. Also, a wonderful way to reinforce a world filled with personal interaction and teamwork is by surrounding him with stories of exercise, activities and team sports so that he can make his own connections. Below is my list of children’s books with a focus on an active lifestyle. I’ve read most of these and received recommendations for the others from my favorite local librarian.

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KIDS: Healthy Holiday Gift Guide 2014
Posted on by Caryn Sullivan Posted in Healthy Gifts & Gadgets, Kid Fitness, Reviews, Active Lifestyle, Features

KIDS: Healthy Holiday Gift Guide 2014

There’s a fine line between buying holiday toys that will make my child leap through the roof and ordering every single gimmicky item on his list. The past few years, we cleared the shelves of most Thomas the Train models. And now we own at least 45 Thomas trains with different facial expressions and sizes because we loved our son’s energy-filled reaction when opening them. However, he played with each for a few weeks and then asked for newer, shinier trains leaving the “old ones” behind. So this season, I’m determined to deliver enjoyable gifts that can also provide joyful times for our entire family. As I focus on wellness, I try to be a good role model, but also rely on surrounding his world with images, stories and activities that showcase the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. In time for the holiday shopping season, I’ve created my own healthy holiday gift guide with fun-filled, activity-driven gifts for kids.

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