Branch Alert:  Our Annual Shutdown is Here!

Features this Month:

• America on the Move - small changes to a healthier life
• Back to School Balance - Keep Kids Active
• 10 Tips for Keeping Kids Active
• Getting to Know You

Back to School Balance: Keep Kids Active

Labor Day weekend signals the end of summer break for Michigan students, and a shift from hours of daily outdoor play to hours spent over homework. Don’t let back to school time mean a return to a sedentary lifestyle for your family.

Kids need 60 minutes of physical activity every day, according to the National Institutes of Health's Weight-Control Information Network. But less than half of U.S. kids are getting this daily requirement, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

“It can be a challenge to fit in an hour of physical activity during the school year,” said Harley Wallen, YMCA regional director of Personal Training and father of three young children. “The trick is to leverage off school, afterschool and weekend programs to get your daily supply of activity and have a closet packed with supplemental activities to keep the family moving.”

Wallen suggests building a monthly activity plan, one month at a time. Consider the following steps for fleshing out a meaningful plan:

School Routine

Inquire at your child’s school about gym, recess and other physical activities. It’s important to quantify only those activities that can be considered at least moderate in physical engagement. If your child walks or bikes to school, capture this activity.

Afterschool

With your child, explore sports and wellness programs. The YMCA has a variety of afterschool, evening and weekend programs—martial arts, yoga, soccer, dance, and more—to engage kids of all ages. Fall registration is currently underway.

Weekends

Explore the outdoors, using the seasons to guide your family’s choices. Fall’s a great time to hike, fish, kayak and bike in southeast Michigan. Don’t want to leave home? Grab a Frisbee, play basketball in the driveway, create an obstacle course—use what’s accessible.

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Getting to Know You

Carls YMCA has been extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to serve a strong, vibrant local community for the past six years. In an effort to continue to engage our members with new and exciting programs, we are happy to announce a number of new opportunities available now and in the coming months.

Is there a special staff member that you feel should be recognized? Here is your chance! Currently in progress, the Y5 Award allows you, the member, to commend those at the Y who go above and beyond the call of duty to make your time at Carls a pleasurable experience. To elect a staff member, all you have to do is visit one of the tables located around the facility and fill out a nomination form and put it in a green ballot box. Prizes will be awarded to all those who are nominated and your comments will be displayed on the television screens at the front desk for everyone to see. Please nominate a special staff member today!

Meet the Friendly Neighborhood Superheroes! Beginning September 22, become a part of the Friendly Neighborhood Superheroes Trading Card Program. Respect, Responsibility, Honesty, and Caring are the core values of the YMCA. Open to all ages, this program helps teach our young members about these values and how to have fun at the same time. By demonstrating these principles to staff members, children will earn trading cards (Over 70 unique cards in all) and collect them to receive prizes and access to the Super Hero Ball in December. Keep an eye out for posters and fliers with more information in the coming weeks!

With the fall season approaching please be on the look-out for new and exciting programs, here at the William and Marie Carls Family YMCA.

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