When gyms closed last March, New Albany resident Katie Baker had to quickly look for a new way to keep her three kids active. As a runner herself, training for a marathon on her own, the natural first step was to sign Maddox, 9; Bentley, 7; and Braxton, 6, up for the New Albany Kids Marathon.
The marathon allowed kids of all ages to sign up and track their miles through a two-month period in April and May to complete the 26.2 miles in a marathon. Since the goal of the marathon was just to get kids up and moving, participants could reach their mileage in a number of ways: running, walking, biking and even skating.
“I like running and riding my bike, but I found out I was a real fast runner, so I finished with that,” says Braxton.
Maddox training a daily run.
In addition to helping the family stay active and busy, the kids enjoyed working toward a goal and spending time with Mom.
“I really liked (the New Albany Kids Marathon) because I got to mark off my own miles on the calendar my mom printed off,” says Maddox. “It was easy because we already were going with my mom, but hard when I was tired.”
Now more than ever, it’s important to be thoughtful about getting your kids up and moving. Whether it’s spending hours a day on the computer for virtual classwork or staying home to stay healthy during the pandemic, inactivity is a big threat to kids and parents alike.
“Physical activity is important for all children to improve their cardiovascular fitness, mental health, gross motor and neuromuscular skills. It serves as a blueprint for health in adulthood,” says Dr. Amy Valasek, physician at Nationwide Children’s Sports Medicine. “Inactivity increases the chances of developing cancer, heart disease, hypertension and diabetes later in life.”
Former executive director of Healthy New Albany Phil Heit, the race director of the New Albany Kids Marathon and one of the masterminds behind the idea, says he’s passionate about getting everyone active in the community – including the youngest ones.
“It’s part of our mission to work with people of all ages, especially kids, to give them a good foundation,” Heit says. “I hope we’re having an impact. When I see kids getting healthy and doing the right things, it makes me feel good.”
The marathon had a much larger impact on the community than anyone could have expected after overcoming the barriers of going virtual to accommodate the pandemic.
“We had about 650 kids participate,” Heit says. “When you consider that New Albany is a community of only about 10,000, to get that many kids to participate was absolutely remarkable.”
Not only was it a great way for kids to get outside and get active, but it helped kids set achievable goals that they could keep track of and measure themselves.
“The marathon was achievable, which I think is key for physical activity because people don’t like to do activity that they can’t achieve,” Valasek says. “It encouraged families to think outside the box to get active together.”
Baker realizes how important physical activity is for both herself and her kids.
“There are so many important benefits of physical activity, but most importantly for me is providing a good example for kiddos,” she says. “As a parent of three very small children, at the time kindergarten, first grade and second grade, and working from home, I know I was tired. But running allowed me to share so many incredible moments with my kids that I wouldn’t give up for anything. Working together towards a common goal of completing a marathon was one of my favorite experiences.”
You don’t have to run a marathon to keep your kids in motion, though. Valasek recommends using all the resources at your disposal to come up with new ideas to keep your kids active and fit. It’s as simple as pulling up a YouTube video on kids’ yoga to follow along at home or setting up 10-minute breaks during the virtual school day to get outside and get moving.
Braxton training on a football field.
While it’s vitally important to keep moving and stay active, even when gyms are closed or have limited capacity, it’s important to keep your own health in mind. Those who have experienced COVID-19 may not be ready to hit the gym the moment they’re clear of the disease.
“One tricky thing with physical activity and COVID is for somebody that is recovering from COVID, there should be a gradual return to activity,” Valasek says. “COVID has been known and shown to affect the heart and other systems in the body. You couldn’t just participate in the New Albany Kids Marathon 10 days later; it should be a gradual return. If you’re having trouble, see your physician.”
According to Valasek, one of the best ways to motivate your kids to get active is by modeling that behavior yourself. Katie Baker is a great example of that in the community, and her kids see it, too.
“I want to be strong like my mom,” says Bentley. “She can do anything she puts her mind to.”
Bentley training on vacation.
Recent health studies show that kids actually need more physical activity than adults in order to stay healthy. Here are Dr. Amy Valasek’s recommendations for daily and weekly exercise goals for children.
- Kids need 60 minutes of exercise a day, seven days a week.
- Three days should be dedicated to raising heart rate with hard, vigorous exercise.
- Three days should be dedicated to strengthening bones and muscles, with weight-based exercises, running and jumping.
- One day can be dedicated to whatever activity your child enjoys most!
Here are top resources for physical activity for kids:
www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/physicalactivity/
www.acsm.org/read-research/trending-topics-resource-pages/physical-activity-guidelines
Sarah Robinson is a contributing editor. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
