Walk in the Park Program
Looking for some fun family activities to keep your family active and close to home? Check out the Walk in the Park Program. Promote healthy living through physical activity with your family and friends.

Kids and exercise

Children's snacks: 20 tips for healthier snacking
(Mayo Clinic)

Making better choices at fast food restaurants

Helpful ways to reduce screen time

How to have a healthy weight for life - make this a family goal.

20 healthy New Year's resolutions for kids (American Academy of Pediatrics)

 

Parents

Should I Use Olive Oil?

salad with vinegar & oil dressingCooking with olive oil is a healthy choice because it contains monounsaturated fat, which can lower the risk of heart disease. It does so by reducing the total and low-density lipoproteins (LDL or “bad”) cholesterol in the blood.

The Food and Drug Administration says eating about 2 tablespoons (23 grams) of olive oil a day may reduce your risk of heart disease. The best benefit is received when you substitute olive oil for saturated fats instead of just adding more olive oil to the diet.

Types of olive oil such as “extra virgin” or “virgin” are the least processed so they contain the highest levels of polyphenols, a powerful antioxidant. However, all types of olive oil have monounsaturated fat.

Physical Activity Tip of the Month: Children

runner graphicChildren and adolescents should do 60 minutes or more of physical activity each day. Encourage children to do activities that are age-appropriate, enjoyable and offer variety! The three types of activity a child needs are:

Link of interest: How much physical activity do children need?

Small Steps Change of the Month

footsteps


Fat sensible tip for choosing fast food: instead of fried chicken pieces ask for a grilled chicken sandwich.

footsteps

Healthy Habits for Healthy Kids

A nutrition and activity guide for healthy kids. If your child is overweight, or at risk of becoming overweight you will gain ideas of what you can do to help.

Designate indoor and outdoor play areas where rolling, climbing, jumping , and tumbling are allowed. Learn more.

Body Mass Index (BMI) calculator for children and teens

CDC has an online tool that calculates BMI-for-age for children and teens. It displays numeric results, a graphic that shows the weight category, and plots the BMI on a printable growth chart. Click here to figure your child’s weight status.

Make the most of family mealtime

Cholesterol in children - find out the new American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations for cholesterol screening in children.