The Playground Exercise Session (While your Kids Play!)

I love the title of this blog:  The Art of Manliness

I came across a video on the site after posting about getting in an exercise session in while at your kid's favourite playground and a quick Twitter conversation with @_valeriei .

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2013/05/24/the-playground-workout-video/

Go play.

I Have NO Time to Exercise

"I have no time to exercise".

As a parent I get that.  What I think you are really saying is I don't have any time to exercise alone.

If your kids love the playground then play with them.  Go down the slide.  More importantly you should try a chin up wherever you can.  Can't do one?  Jump.  Cheat.  I promise you, that after a few months of jumping up and grabbing that bar above your head, you will be doing a non-cheating chin up.
Jump off things.  Pretend you are riding a motorbike when you land.  Jump from higher things.  Keep challenging yourself to 'exercise' while you play with your kids.

Changes won't happen in a month, or even half a year...but if you keep at it there will be noticeable differences in your strength and fitness.

A letter I sent to a group of PTs, OTs, SLPs, and BCs

Hello,

My name is Malcolm Chrystal.  I am a practicing kinesiologist, teacher, and caregiver of children with special needs. I am developing a practice providing fitness/exercise sessions for children with special needs, in particular autism. 

I have taken your email from the RASP list on Autism Community Training's website and I am sending an email to the BCs, SLPs, PTs and OTs on the list across BC and hope that I find a receptive audience for my message and create a discussion on the importance of exercise for ALL kids.

My practice:  I work with individuals and small groups (2-4) and engage them in EXERCISE (not recreation) with the goal of increasing their CARDIOVASCULAR, MUSCULAR, AND PROPRIOCEPTIVE FITNESS.  Improvement of these fitness components helps individuals attain marked improvements in gross and fine motor skills, AND quality of life.  Having the ability to play with peers on the playground, or playing catch, or perhaps learning to ride a bike can have extraordinary effects on quality of life.

I regard my work as complementary to a client's behaviour plan and NOT as an alternative treatment.

A healthy body, an exercised body, is easier to work with in many situations: table work, eating, falling asleep. Improvements in balance, coordination and hand (and overall) strength can support much of the work being done by OTs,PTs, PE teachers, and parents wishing to teach their children.  

It is my hope to see exercise sessions planned and built into current behaviour plans.

I am both looking for new clients (in the lower mainland) and an opportunity to share my message and ideas with Behaviour Consultants, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and their BI teams across the province. 

If you are interested in learning more about what I am doing I would be more than happy to speak with you about anything related to exercise and fitness for your clients.

Please share with those who you may think will benefit!

Thank you for your time.

Kind Regards,

Malcolm

Exercise...Not Recreation

Don't get me wrong, recreation is an important aspect of quality of life, but what if you don't have the physical abilities to do many of the activities that require a certain strength and skill set that allow you to participate in recreational activities?

Fitness is a tool that will enhance the ability to participate in recreational activities.

Lately I have been thinking (even dreaming of) parkour as an important tool to promote and enhance the physical abilities of children.  In fact I have a client who lists parkour as one of his likes.  I design his sessions around the idea of parkour type exercises.  Not only are the exercises increasing his strength and power (relative to his body) but balance and confidence in moving his body will only continue to grow.

Canuck Place Adventure Challenges: Canuck Place Adventure Challenge Cultus Lake High ...

Canuck Place Adventure Challenges: Canuck Place Adventure Challenge Cultus Lake High ...:

Go HERE to donate for my fundraising for Canuck Place , Canucks for Kids , and 60 Minute Kids Club. This is the one and only CP Adventur...

Quiet Running

Run like a Ninja.

It has occurred to me of late that non-runners are those of heavy feet.  A few of my clients make a huge flappy noise when they run and I remind them to "run like a Ninja".

That shuffling noise you hear when some people run is actually them putting the brakes on and it takes a lot of energy to run with your brakes on!

Your stride should be quiet.  You need to run OVER your foot strike and not INTO it.
If you are a beginner runner, lose the heel strike, run more on the mid-foot, and have active toes as you stride forward. Not only does it change the way you sound, but it changes the way you look when you run...you look like a runner!

One of my clients who was a terribly noisy runner did a 1 km run last week and he looked like a completely different person running....I didn't hear him run at all.

Pediatric Meet and Greet!

Thank you to Laura of Kids Physio Group and Leslie of Leap Therapy for Kids for hosting a meet and greet of PTs, OTs, one lone Kinesiologist and a PE teacher!