This week’s workout theme is a Push Up Power!

Try out these three moves and see if you can create a few more of your own!

Movement is always fun, but to build better control we need to keep our awareness on the quality of our movement.

Can we move slow and fast? Can we talk at the same time so we know we’re taking deep breaths? Can we keep good timing and sequencing as we go and not just at the beginning?

With our awareness ready, let’s go!

First, let’s try push ups in a way that we can control keeping our body’s in a strong straight line by doing wall push-ups.

Next, let’s try to hold a plank position. Not just any plank though- let’s put our feet on the couch and our hands on the floor and hold it here.

Last, let’s try some ABC shoulder taps!

Remember, if any of these positions are too hard to do with good QUALITY, move to a more upright position. Over time you can make it more challenging.

Come back next week to try out our next Wednesday workout! Have fun! Dr. Joni

This week’s workout theme is Father’s Day! Why not celebrate Dads all week long??!!

Try out these three moves and see if you can create a few more of your own!

Movement is always fun, but to build better control we need to keep our awareness on the quality of our movement. Can we move slow and fast? Can we talk at the same time so we know we’re taking deep breaths? Can we hold the positions with the body lined up strong and stable?

With our awareness ready, let’s go!

First, let’s hold eachother’s hands. Can you lift one foot and hold it? You can try holding 2 hands and leaning back too!

Next, have Dad get into the Downward Dog position! How many times can the child crawl under, run around to the start, and climb under again! Let’s really challenge Dad with this one!

Finally, its time to fly! There are many fun ways to do this, from piggyback rides to holding the child and zooming around the house. My favorite way is for Dad to lie on his back his his hands and feet up. Dad puts his feet on the child’s belly, holds the child’s hands, and lifts them up! This is so much fun, just be careful. Be sure there is nothing nearby the child can fall on and only go as high as you can control.

Repeat the routine 5 times for a fun and fit movement adventure!

Come back next week to try out our next Wednesday workout!

Have fun!

Dr. Joni

This week’s workout theme is under the sea! Try out these three moves and see if you can create a few more of your own!

Movement is always fun, but to build better control we need to keep our awareness on the quality of our movement. Can we move slow and fast? Can we talk at the same time so we know we’re taking deep breaths? Can we hold the positions with the body lined up strong and stable?

With our awareness ready, let’s go!

First, let’s become merfolk and swim through the water. Swim to the surface, land on a rock and push up so you can look around at the horizon. What a beautiful sunny day- I can feel the sun rays on my face! Let out a big sigh, “aaaaaaaah” as you bask in the sun!

You can modify this pose by pushing up on your elbows instead of your hands. You can also put a pillow under your hips if this position creates stress on your back. Look to the left, look to the right, look up and look down. The rest of your body should be able to stay still.

Next, let’s become dolphins and push up onto our hands and feet, making a big arch with our bodies as we jump in and out of the ocean! You can stay here or you can move back and forth between plank and this downward dog position. Take a deep breath and see how long you can say “Goooooooooooooo……” as your dolphin leaps up out of the water!

You can modify this pose by putting your hands on a higher surface than the floor. Use the couch or a chair. As this becomes easier you can use a lower surface.

Finally, let’s become crabs, pushing up onto our hands and feet with our bellies pointing up to the sky. Yell out a “snap snap snap!”

You can modify this pose by holding it more briefly and lifting your bottom up and down from the floor for multiple reps. You can also make this harder by lifting one leg into the air.

Repeat the routine 5 times for a fun and fit movement adventure!

Come back next week to try out our next Wednesday workout!

 National Fairy Tale Day is this week so I thought it would be fun to ask our staff what their favorite fairy tale is to celebrate! Fairy Tales are such a fun and classic way to engage kids in reading and storytelling, and most of us have been hearing these stories since we were little kids ourselves.

What’s your favorite fairy tale? 

Joni: Peter Pan is her favorite. Joni says it’s her favorite because “she won’t grow up either and that’s why I play all day!”

Sue: Princess and the Pea! Sue says this gives her fond memories of being read to as a child! 

Wendy: Beauty and the Beast is her favorite because Belle shows that love goes beyond looks. 

Stephanie: Cinderella is Stephanie’s favorite fairy tale because she finds her perfect Prince Charming. 

Katie: My favorite fairy tale is Beauty and the Beast. I remember loving watching this movie growing up because Belle was so independent and loved to read (just like me as a kid!). Plus who didn’t want her gorgeous yellow/gold dress?

How are you celebrating National Fairy Tale day? We would love to know if you’re reading your favorite fairy tale to your kids or what their favorite fairy tale is! Let us know on Facebook @kidptnj or Instagram @Kidpt! 

Did you know last week was National Healthy Weight Week? To celebrate here are some tips to support healthy weight and body image in young girls and women!

Today’s culture can be a difficult one for girls and women to be in when it comes to weight. There is so much pressure to be a certain weight; while it used to be skinny, now, there is a big push for “healthy weight,” but what does that even mean? The internet is truly a double edged sword as it provides us with access to lots of credible information, it also has a lot of incorrect information which unfortunately spreads like wildfire. With so many people selling coaching, shakes, or other weight loss products it can be difficult to navigate as an adult, let alone as a teen. Here are some tips to help support your tween/teen daughter, niece, cousin, student, etc.

• Support and give an example of healthy eating: make sure you demonstrate healthy eating habits to follow. This means eating all meals, not talking badly about yourself when you eat something that’s not super healthy, discussing food as fuel and how important fuel is for our bodies, etc. Kids and teens learn a lot of behaviors and attitudes from the adults around them, so be sure you are setting a healthy example.
• Encourage regular exercise, but make sure you aren’t equating exercise to value: exercise is a great way to maintain healthy weight and a healthy lifestyle. But it is important to not become hyper focused on it. It can be easy, especially with social media, to think you HAVE to workout and if you don’t you’re a bad person. So encouraging a healthy relationship with working out is crucial.
• Focus on other amazing attributes as well: making sure to compliment other aspects is so important. Some great examples to focus on: kindness, caring, thoughtfulness, helpfulness, etc. These are traits that are completely in their control and not related to body image. Another way is to kind of spin body image compliments, so instead of saying ‘you look so skinny’ you can say ‘you look so healthy’ or ‘you’re glowing when you’re happy’ to focus less on looks and more on attitude.

At the end of the day being healthy is not the same as being skinny or super muscular or anything related to looks. Reminding and encouraging this mindset is key to help young girls have a sense of healthy weight and body image. In today’s world it can be so hard to have a healthy mindset around these topics with social media, and while you can’t control what the young girls in your life are thinking, you can help set a good example for them daily.