Start your day with breakfast.
Breakfast fills your “empty tank” to get
you going after a long night without food. And it can help you
do better in school. Easy to prepare breakfasts include cold
cereal with fruit and low-fat milk, whole-wheat toast with peanut
butter, yogurt with fruit, whole-grain waffles or even last
night’s pizza!
"Snack Smart"
snacks are a great way to refuel. Choose snacks from
different groups – a glass of low-fat milk and a few graham
crackers, an apple or celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins,
or some dry cereal. If you eat smart at other meals, cookies,
chips and candy are okay for occasional snacking.
Don’t eat too much
of one thing. You don’t have to give up foods
like hamburgers, french fries and ice cream to eat healthy.
You just have to be smart about how often and how much of them
you eat. Your body needs nutrients like protein, carbohydrates,
fat and many different vitamins and minerals such as vitamin
C and A, iron and calcium. Balancing food choices from the Food
Guide Pyramid and checking out the Nutrition Facts Panel on
food labels will help you to get all these nutrients.
Eat more grains, fruits
and vegetables. These foods give you carbohydrates
for energy, plus vitamins, minerals and fiber. Besides, they
taste good! Try breads such as whole-wheat bagels and pitas.
Spaghetti and oatmeal are also in the grain group.
Make healthy and physical
activities fun! Take advantage of physical activities
you and your friends enjoy doing together and eat the foods
you like. Be adventurous – try new sports, games and other
activities as well as new foods. You’ll grow stronger,
play longer and look and feel better! Set realistic goals –
don’t try changing too much at once.
Never go running alone
no matter where you live. The reasons for this rule
are endless. Find yourself a running buddy or someone who will
ride a bicycle at your side. When you start running, keep your
total distance at or below three miles (5 kilometers) each time.
If you’re doing a round trip run, then choose a turn around
point that’s no further than a mile and a half away. Since
you’re still growing, your bones and joints are different
from an adult’s and longer distances could work against
you. There will be plenty of time to train for marathons when
you’re older. Kids are more sensitive to temperature changes
than adults. If it’s hot outside, try to run in the morning
or evening when it is coolest.
Drink water about 20
or 30 minutes before you start your run and make sure there
is water along the way. Some sports drinks are okay
but don’t drink anything that has caffeine in it. Caffeine
can dehydrate you and it’s especially bad for girls because
it steals calcium away from their bones. Water is just as good
for you as any fancy sports drink.
