Monday 30 April 2018

Martial arts for children – why is it worth considering?


Martial arts have recently gained very high popularity and a large group of supporters. In many cases people who are not more interested in the subject, treat martial arts as a discipline that causes more injuries than football - nothing more wrong.
Here are the reasons why your child should attend martial arts classes:
1) Physical activity and the possibility of using energy
Today's style of life does not force us to physical activity... We spend more and more time sitting down, whether at work or at home in front of the TV screen or computer monitor, but we need to remembered that children should have at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day! Martial arts classes can be one of the way of providing it for our kid.
2) General physical development
Martial arts for children, contrary to appearances, are a discipline in which the trainings are very diverse, and thus offer a much larger range of general development exercises. The curricula contain mainly exercises with their own body weight that have a very good effect on the child's muscle development, posture stabilization and correction. Stretching affects flexibility. Joints subjected to low loads, while working in the natural range of movement, have a chance to develop in order to serve us as long as possible.
3) Reigning us with our body
In addition to the general development of physical fitness, martial arts for children also teach the ability to control their own bodies, but also aggression. It's not about teaching a child how to hurt someone. Martial arts are mostly used to defend yourself and your own health as well as others. People who persistently train martial arts are usually balanced people and self-confident.
4) Psychological development
It turns out that in martial arts, as in other sports, e.g. in dance, the learning of positions, techniques, formal arrangements or naming is a perfect exercise of memory or abstract thinking.
5) Learning respect for others
In addition to work on remembering or abstract thinking, martial arts can also be developed from a different angle. Namely, they are often associated with discipline. This is quite a strong term, but it really focuses on a few issues such as ceremonial (punctuality, focus, compliance with rules in the classroom and consistency) or respect for the teacher (which translates into respect for parents or teachers at school).
6) Working in a group
This is certainly a very important skill nowadays, especially useful in life. In class, children do not exercise alone. They usually function in their group, participate in team games (during warm-up). Practicing in pairs help each other in learning techniques, see how they affect the other person, are able to control their strength and are taught respect for the other person.
7) Systematic work leads to success
Classes usually take place at the same times and places. Hence the learning of regularity by timely (and punctual) appearing in class. Regularity is also found in exercises, where the child learns by repeating exercises regularly, thus improving his technique.
8) Spending time usefuly
Of course, it is important to balance and find time both for learning, movement, working on your character, as well as for fun or just moments of laziness. Classes spent on the mat are able to give the child much more real interaction than the time spent at the computer or phone.
Will you let your child practice martial art?

Tuesday 24 April 2018

Make time for breakfast

On April 24th is celebrated the European Day of Breakfast  which is organized under the slogan "Make time for breakfast".
With non-communicable diseases on the rise, and many Europeans skipping breakfast, the Breakfast is Best campaign is calling on stakeholders across Europe to address the importance of breakfast in healthy lifestyle choices and combating health inequalities.

The Breakfast is Best campaign – a multi-stakeholder science-based campaign involving Europe’s dieticians, doctors and the breakfast cereal industry (CEEREAL) – has launched the “Make Time for Breakfast Pledge”, calling on Europe to do more to encourage its citizens to have breakfast every day.
http://www.breakfastisbest.eu/

Here you can find a great extensive report about "The Importance Breakfast in Europe":


Friday 20 April 2018

Sugar in drinks


Limit sugar in your child's diet!

A child’s body gets all the sugar it needs from that naturally occurring in food. Added sugar just means a lot of empty calories that contribute to hyperactivity, mood disorders, and increase the risk for obesity, type 2 diabetes, and even suicidal behaviours in teenagers.

How to cut down on sugar?
The American Heart Association recommends that sugar intake for children is limited to 3 teaspoons (12 grams) a day. A 12-ounce soda contains up to 10 teaspoons or 40g of added sugar, shakes and sweetened coffee drinks even more. Large amounts of added sugar can also be hidden in foods such as bread, canned soups and vegetables, frozen dinners, and fast food. In fact, about 75% of packaged food in the U.S. contains added sugar.

·         Don’t ban sweets entirely. Having a no sweets rule is an invitation for cravings and overindulging when given the chance.

·         Give recipes a makeover. Many recipes taste just as good with less sugar.

·         Avoid sugary drinks. Instead, try adding a splash of fruit juice to sparkling water or blending whole milk with a banana or berries for a delicious smoothie.

·         Don’t replace healthy sources of saturated fat with refined carbs or sugary snacks. It’s a mistake many of us make. Instead of letting our kids eat whole-fat yoghurt, for example, we offer them low-fat versions, not realizing they’re often packed with added sugar to make up for the loss of taste. Or we swap breakfast eggs for a pastry or muffin. 

·         Create your own popsicles and frozen treats. Freeze 100% fruit juice in an ice-cube tray with plastic spoons as popsicle handles. Or make frozen fruit kabobs using pineapple chunks, bananas, grapes, and berries.

·         Avoid foods that impair your child’s mood.
·         A diet high in processed foods, such as fried food, sweet desserts, sugary snacks, refined flour and cereals can increase the risk for anxiety and depression in kids.
·         Kids who drink four or more cups of soda or sweetened fruit drinks a day—including diet versions—have a higher risk for depression.
·         Caffeine from soda, energy drinks, or coffee drinks can trigger anxiety in kids and aggravate feelings of depression.



Thursday 12 April 2018

Trekking for Afrika

Inspired by project Move up to be healthy and happy Municipality Forte dei Marmi continiue their journej with healthy and active lifestyle.
Summary of a wonderful day ... Trekking for Afrika.
A pleasant walk for adults and children, games, laughter, fun and solidarity organized by the Friends of the Via Francigena of Pietrasanta in favor of Amici di Francesco and Amici del Mondo attended by children from the project the Move Up from Forte dei Marmi with their friends, brothers and sisters.