Y Talk: Beat Those Winter Blues by Brittany Rose

Winter is here and just hanging around. Don’t allow these extended weekends due to snow days, and long cold nights get the best of you and your family. Stay optimistic and charged with these ideas for your family to stay active and engaged these last couple of cold weeks.

Exercise

Getting everyone out of the house (away from electronics) and moving around allows for stress relief and the release of “feel-good” chemicals in the brain, higher metabolism and more positive attitudes and smiles from the family. The YMCA offers open swim time throughout the week and a wide variety of group classes for adults. For a full list of classes check out our website.

Eat Healthy

Have your kids help with dinner planning and preparation. Ask what they want and involve them in the cooking process. Have them try new foods, but disguising them in a smoothie, puree or fruit salad. It’s also important to continue drinking your daily 8 cups of water, and stay away from the sugary drinks.

Family Movie Night

Instead of everyone splitting off into separate rooms to spend more time on their electronic devices, give the whole family screen time together. Many different websites stream movies free or for a low cost. Netflix, Hulu and Amazon all charge a small fee. You also could turn this into family game night with your Wii or Xbox Connect, challenging yourselves to beat a game or get a high score together.

Paint a Room

Whether you finally tackle your son’s room that he’s been asking about for months, or a focal wall you wanted to change since you saw a cool design on DIY; a change in color or texture can bring new life to an area of the house just in time for spring.

Sleep

Parents and teens over age 18 should aim for 8-9 hours of sleep per night. This will help mood, energy levels and the type of sleep you have. School-aged children should sleep an estimated 10-11 hours per night. Children deprived from sleep can struggle with mood, behavior and cognitive ability. Here are a few other sleep tips:

• develop a regular sleep schedule
• set limits for TV and electronics
• set soothing sleep environment

Don’t forget naps are still important if you’re able to get in a few quick Zzzs here and there to recharge.

Get Out

Ask your kids what they want to do for a fun trip or activity. There are lots of low-cost, local activities to do with the family:

• Create-A-Poolza is an activity center located in downtown Carlisle which offers many different classes to bring out your inner artist
• CALC is open for all ages in many different artistic capacities (photography, painting, drawling, clay, etc.) and right in town
• SkyZone is for that active son or daughter. It is open during the week after 3 (closed Mondays) and offers a toddler time in the mornings to enhance motor skills in your little ones.
• U.S. Army Heritage & Education Center now has an interactive wing to connect with families and kids of all ages. And the trail with lots of interactive displays chronically our country’s war history is the perfect way to get some exercise and expand your minds.

Think about Summer

Summer camps can enhance your son or daughter in many ways. They allow for them to express themselves freely, meet new friends, socialize and get away from the school structure they might struggle with during the year. Thinking about summer camps can be overwhelming because of cost, interest, age range and more. Here are some things to start thinking about:

• Start asking your child about their interests (sports, dance, outdoors, singing, etc.) and determine which camp will best benefit them.
• What is your budget?
• How far do you want to travel before and after work?
• Are there any open houses or meet the staff days prior?

Look online for websites, blogs and reviews of camps. Don’t be afraid to call and ask questions.

It might now seem like it right now, but Spring is just around the corner. Try some or all of these activities and think happy thoughts of sunshine to get through the last weeks of Winter.

-by Brittany Rose, Camping Services Director