Hey!

It’s that time of year again: Spring Break!! Have you had your Spring Break yet? Or are you looking forward to it??

So whether you’re going to some place where you’ll see a sign like this, or visiting relatives, or having a ‘staycation’, you can make your break super active.

If you’re going somewhere hot, you’ll probably be swimming and playing a a whole lot of sports and games. If you’re going skiing, then you’ll be super active too. But if you’re staying close to home, here are some great ideas for a fun break:

– Bowling! Get a few friends, or your family, and have a blast! Bowling is always way more fun than you think it’s going to be.

– Swimming! Find out when your local pool has a free swim and get some pals to go. Swimming is always fun! (At our local pool, they get out a ‘Tarzan rope’ during the free/open swim and we go between that and the diving board. Plus we swim at Charlie’s, which is awesome!)

– Try out something new! Lots of places offer camps or lessons during Spring Break. Last year a few of us did volleyball. It was fun! Some people live near ski hills and go skiing for the day!

– Cook or bake something (healthy) from scratch! (Just make sure you have permission and get help with anything that you’re not comfortable with.)

– Tour a local attraction! Lots of museums, universities, galleries, and libraries have special exhibits and programs. You can make a day or an afternoon out of it!

These are just a few ideas. You can create your own adventure! Be safe and have fun!

See you soon!

Finn

Hey!

Sorry it’s been a while since I checked in. Sue and I have been doing some awesome work on the new The F.I.T. Files book! So that’s great!

One thing that happened recently that wasn’t great was the loss of an awesome basketball coach. Dean Smith, the former head coach of The University of North Carolina Tar Heels, passed away. We were away for a few days when it happened, and things have been super busy catching up on schoolwork and stuff.

My parents were kind of devastated, as was everyone else around Chapel Hill. See, he wasn’t just an amazing coach, he was innovative and inspired his players to be really good people – not just players.

Just check out this video about Dean Smith

There are a bunch of tribute videos (just search ‘Dean Smith legacy’ and you’ll see what I mean), and I can see why everyone loved him so much. I heard he was super modest (he didn’t even want the Dean E. Smith Center, affectionately called the Dean Dome, to be named after him) and was just a super loyal, upstanding person who was always there for his players.

Here are just a few of the things he did:

When a Carolina player scored, he had him point to the player who passed him the ball. It was the ‘Carolina way’. Basketball was all about team. Watch any UNC game today – they still do that. It’s really cool.

He brought in the ‘four corners’ offence to burn down time in a game. It was so successful that they brought in the shot clock a little later!

He was a big civil rights advocate. He and his pastor took an African American divinity student to a segregated restaurant in Chapel Hill. (This was way back in the early 1960’s… Can you believe that stuff went on?!) After that, the restaurant included everyone.

He recruited Charles Scott, the first African American basketball player at a major southern university.

My folks have this old book called The Dean’s List and, even though it was written a long time ago, it’s pretty timeless. I read it and it’s really interesting.

I’m kind of fascinated by Coach Smith, because he became such an icon, but his players have some cool anecdotes about him. There’s a neat one in this article about how he even gave his players an English lesson in the correct use of the word ‘farthest’. They say he had this amazing memory, and would send hand written notes to his players, and that, even after they graduated, they never made a major decision without talking to him.

While it’s sad that Coach Smith is not with us anymore, he kind of is with us, because of his innovations, and how he inspired everyone to be better. I hope he inspires you too.

Finn

Did you know that tobogganing, a classic and fun winter activity has been banned in some cities?? It’s true! Read the article to learn about it.

Needless to say, we don’t do a whole lot of tobogganing (also called sledding or sliding) here in North Carolina. Okay none. But I go whenever I’m back in Canada visiting my relatives in the winter and there’s snow. If you’ve ever gone sledding, you know it’s crazy fun. So people are pretty miffed about not being allowed to do an awesome and healthy winter activity. (You seriously get good exercise dragging your sled back up the hill.)

A friend of my mom’s sent her this clip from a really popular show in Canada, that shows how silly it is to ban a popular and classic winter activity. It’s pretty clever. Watch it here

Good eh? So I was thinking I would talk about how to make sledding safe. It’s common sense really. Here are some tips.

1. Make sure your path is clear before you start down the hill. Don’t assume someone is going to see or hear you coming if they’re in the way. Crashing into others is one of the big ways people get hurt.

2. Give yourself lots of room. Your path down the hill can be unpredictable, depending on slippery patches, etc.

3. When you’re at the bottom of the hill or walking back up, look up the hill to make sure you’re not in anyone’s way. Stay clear of anyone coming down the hill!

4. Remember that snow ramps can be unpredictable, and a pretty easy way to get injured if you go flying off. Speaking of unpredictable, make sure you’re sitting stable on your sled. No standing up or crazy tricks.

5. Respect other sliders on the hill. Everyone is there to have fun, not to get hurt.

6. Make sure you’re in a safe area, with no barriers, or other hazards.

Like I say, sliding down a snowy hill is one of the funnest winter activities there is, and super healthy too. Just keep using your common sense and it will stay that way!

See you soon!

Finn

Hey!

So I’ve got to tell you, January has been a busy month! We’ve got a bunch of projects for school, and I’ve been helping Charlie and the rest of my friends with some new activities. (Wait til you read about it in the next The F.I.T. Files book… It’s been, ahem, interesting!) Plus I’ve been getting lots of tennis in, and that’s always awesome!

I’ve been so motivated, watching the Australian Open! Milos Raonic is my favorite player. His serve is insane!!

I usually don’t watch a lot of t.v., so the rule is: since I’ve been watching more with Australian Open tennis, I use the time to stretch or do some core strengthening (stuff like abdominal crunches, mini squats, and v-sits). Also, out t.v. room has never been cleaner, because I’ve been doing most of my house cleaning chores while watching 🙂

I seriously can’t sit still while I’m watching all those amazing shots. I’m always really pumped to get out and play after watching, so that’s cool.

That’s why I thought I’d write a little something about ‘screen time’. That’s any time spent watching t.v., or on devices like iPads, phones, stuff like XBox, Playstation, computers, etc. (But you probably knew that.) So I looked a couple of things up, and I’ve got to tell you, I was a little shocked. It looks like kids are on screens a lot!

Participaction (I have them on my links page on the website) has this new campaign called Make Room for Play. They have videos, which really make you want to get up and get out. They also have some really helpful info to help you get back to play. Because, I don’t care how old you are – everyone needs play!

Check it out

(Make sure you watch at least a couple of the videos. They’ll open your eyes and get you moving!)

How are you going to make room to play this week?

Have fun and I’ll see you soon!

Finn

Hey! Happy New Year!!

Yep, I’ve been a little slack in my blog, mainly because I’ve been chilling out during the holidays.

Don’t get me wrong – we’ve been pretty active too. I’ve been playing a little extra tennis, and we’ve been getting together with lots of friends for activities. But we’ve had a few days of sleeping in a little later, hanging out in pyjamas for half the day, and generally stepping out of the usual routine. It’s been awesome. And I know I’ll be back to the usual stuff, so no big deal.

So I wanted to talk about New Year’s resolutions. I don’t make them, but some of my friends and family do. You know: work out more, eat healthier, read more, blah blah blah.

I think they’re great as a tool to improve on things you want to improve on.

Here’s the thing though: A New Year’s resolution has to be something you can manage. And that you’ll stick with. (Past January! That’s why the comic cracks me up!) You know what I mean?

So if you made one, or if you just generally want to get healthier, more active, whatever… Start with one step at a time. Then it’s not that tough. If you have an off day, no biggie. Just try to keep on track the next day!

Just one little step. And stick with it.

Before you know it, that first little step has become a positive change!

See you soon!

Finn

Hey!

Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas! Just a big Happy Holidays all around! I love the holidays!

Wow, things have been pretty busy this holiday season. I had to finish a couple of school projects before our Christmas break. Mom has been baking up a storm and we’ve been helping her. (I’m the official taste tester!) And my parents are the king and queen of holiday get-togethers! We don’t have a big fancy house or anything, but we love to have friends and family over. It’s always fun and cozy.

So I wanted to check in with you.

How are you doing?

I’m asking because we can all get out of our routine during the holidays. There are way more tempting goodies around, everyone’s rushing around a bit more, and sometimes your usual exercise and activities get pushed aside.

So I wanted to write about parties and special occasions.

When we have a party, we try to have tons of healthy options: We have lots of veggies and healthy dips, we have sparkling water with cranberry juice, fruit, and all kinds of other healthy choices. Sure, we have snacks and food that’s not as healthy too, but not as much. And if we overindulge a little, we keep things a little healthier and more active the next day. No biggie.

Last night we had two families over, which was a lot of fun. Mom was doling out chilli, and  one of the kids who’s a couple of years younger than me said, “Could I have a little less? I’ll get seconds if I’m still hungry.” I thought that was cool.

Anyway, thinking of parties, I found this blog post by Rachel Shantz on the Participaction website. (I have a link to Participaction on my ‘links’ page.)

Check it out here.

It’s got some great ideas! And the charades thing? It’s super fun.

Have an awesome – and active! – holiday!

Finn

Hey!

I meant to post something on the weekend, but with lots of family in town for Thanksgiving (and my gramps wanting to play “one more set” of tennis) things got a little busy! Lots of fun though and at least I worked off some of those Thanksgiving munchies. (See? It’s all about balance!)

So, The F.I.T. Files books (we’re working on the second one now!) are all about empowerment – about you taking your activities, fitness, and healthy habits and eating, into your own hands (Like Charlie did).

Owning it!

So, speaking of empowerment, I checked in at our website and saw that Sue posted something about We Day. I was curious, so I checked it out…

Wow! It’s amazing!

Basically, We Day was started by these brothers, Craig and Marc Kielburger. They started a group called Free the Children when they were, like 12 or 13 years old!

Now they have this awesome organization that does all this amazing stuff.

The coolest thing is: It’s kids helping kids.

WE Day has all these amazing speakers, singers, pro athletes and super inspiring people. If you want to learn more about WE Day, Free the Children, ME to WE, and all kinds of other stuff, check out the WE Day site

(Or just search www.weday.com)

(I thought the WE Day video was pretty amazing.)

I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling pretty inspired! I’m going to see how we can help in our school!

See ya!

Finn

Hey!

Since tomorrow is going to be super busy, I wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving a day early. So, Happy Thanksgiving!!

The above may be what Mom looks like tomorrow, haha. (Just kidding Mom… kind of!)

We’re going to have a full house tomorrow, with BOTH sets of grandparents coming to visit (even my Canadian ones – way to get in the spirit Gram and Gramp)!

It seems like with every holiday, my family has a tradition of getting out for a big hike or walk. Tomorrow, same as usual, we’ll get roped into – er uh, I mean invited out for – a walk. (Ha, just joking!) We’ll also throw the football around (classic). And at some point this weekend, I’ll go and hit at the tennis club with Gramps.

I’ve gotta tell you, it’s pretty nice to get outside and get active when you have a lot of people and a lot of food crammed into your house. Even if you have a small gathering, it’s really nice to appreciate the outdoors. So while we’re always thankful for family and food, we’re also thankful for nature, fresh air, and being able to be active together.

Do you have an active Thanksgiving tradition? If you don’t (yet), why don’t you start one?

Have an awesome holiday!

Finn

Brrr!

Hey!

So I heard that some people are calling this month ‘Snow-vember’! We’ve been thinking about our friends in New York State and hoping that everyone stays safe with all that snow.

Since my mom is Canadian, and since I was born there and we lived there, I feel like a bit of an expert on snow! So I thought I’d give you a few tips to keep active in the cold and snow. These are my top tips:

1. Dress in layers! A nice long sleeve t-shirt or other light shirt, plus a sweater or active shirt, a sweater, active shirt or maybe fleece, a warm jacket… Don’t just wear 1 jacket if it’s cold. Layers keep you nice and warm, can wick away sweat (which can make you cold after), and you can peel off a layer or two if you start warming up.

2. Check the temperature AND the wind chill! If there’s any wind, it can make things WAY colder than you think.

3. Find a hat that you like and wear it. (I hate wearing hats but there are some pretty cool ones to choose from these days.) You lose a lot of heat from your noggin. Plus you’ll protect your ears.

4. Have good mittens and socks… and a warm boots! (I hate the feeling of cold snow on my ankles!) Fingers and toes get cold super quick!

5. Drink water! Yep, we still sweat and can get dehydrated in the winter.

You can still be super active in the winter. And helping your family or your neighbours with shovelling snow is awesome exercise.  Be safe and have fun!

Finn

Hey!

So, I’m doing some research for a school project, and I came across this article.

It’s basically how to get students more active in schools. I guess it’s aimed at parents (like most other info out there) but it had some good points for anyone who has to sit in a classroom. One big point it makes is that even if you have physical education every day (which we all should have), it’s not the same as physical activity.

We should all have ways of being able to move and be active when we’re in class. Some teachers think it’s disruptive, but it’s totally not. We change classrooms for different subjects, but it’s tough to sit in your desk for an hour once you’re in the class. Kids in elementary school usually stay in the same classroom – so they have to have an outlet for their energy. Otherwise, people get bored, can’t concentrate, maybe stir up some shenanigans.

Anyway, here’s the article:

Luckily, we have a few stability balls in our reading area in homeroom. Ms. Mac actually makes us get up in the middle of the class and move around and stretch. Some teachers don’t do that. My science teacher takes every opportunity to walk us outside for a lesson. So that’s pretty cool.

What do you do at your school to incorporate physical activity?

See you soon!

Finn