The following article was written by HeartCorp Member, Sue Koeppe.
My name is Sue Koeppe and I work locally at the UWGB Extension with HeartCorps through the American Heart Association. Our big focus is heart health in our communities. I will be at Manitowoc Public Library presenting Happy Healthy Heart Storytime on Wednesday, March 19, from 10:30-11:15 AM in the Balkansky Community Room. I will be bringing stethoscopes with me to listen to our heartbeats! We can do a bit of exercise and listen to how our heart rate goes up with exercise! While this program is appropriate for all ages, it is being presented with preschoolers and their families in mind.
How do we focus on heart health for our children? One big thing is physical activity! Take a walk and make it fun! Look for something yellow, red, or blue while you are walking. How about adding “Follow the Leader” or some dance moves to our walks! Our children need to play to get that heart pumping!! And if the weather is not the best outside, play “Hide and Seek” or have a dance party inside!!
What about healthy eating? I know it is not easy to cook every meal healthy, but what about starting with making 2 meals a week Heart Healthy? Heart Healthy recipes can be found everywhere!! We can start right here at Manitowoc Public Library for cookbooks! Limiting candy and soda would be another easy thing to focus on! Heart Healthy snacks are so much fun to plan!! Make a fun granola with raisins or craisins! How about a refreshing smoothie on a hot day? So many ideas can be found!
Sue Koeppe
We should also focus on our serving sizes. Do our kids need a big serving of casserole or pizza? What about fruits and vegetables? How many should we get daily? Focus on a healthy plate for every meal! Healthy grains that are whole grains and not refined or processed. For fruits, choose fresh, frozen, or canned fruits with no added sugar. Vegetables should be eaten often! Eat a variety including dark green, red, and orange! Our protein should be lean meats and poultry, beans and peas, eggs, and unsalted nuts and seeds. Always remember to include dairy daily! Yogurt, milk, and cheese are wonderful ways to get calcium in our bodies!
Another simple thing to focus on is screen time. What do our hearts do when we are sitting and watching TV or playing video games? They are doing what they need to do to pump blood through our bodies, but if we are doing this for hours a day, that is not good for our hearts! We need activity throughout the day to get our hearts active and happy! I think of an active heart as a happy heart!
One more thing to think about with our children in mind. Would you know what to do if your child collapses and become unresponsive? Do you know about child CPR? I know it is a scary thing to think about, but it is so important to know what to do in these stressful situations. There are many resources available for learning basic first aid and CPR. I do teach hands only CPR and it is a wonderful resource to know! Who knows when you might need that knowledge!
I hope that you’ll be able to join me at Manitowoc Public Library for Happy Healthy Heart Storytime on Wednesday, March 19, in the Balkansky Community Room from 10:30-11:15 AM. It’s going to be a fun, informative good time!
