Taking the Stronger Bones Challenge with YAZOO KiDS

Did you know that childhood, adolescence and early adulthood up to the mid-20s, when the skeleton is growing, are the time for building strong bones?

There are a two ways that we can ensure that our kids develop strong muscles and bones: Physical activity and eating a healthy, balanced diet.

The Change4Life campaign gives families fun ideas to help kids stay active and healthy, with exercise challenges and advise on how to cut back on sugar by making a few simple swaps to everyday food and drink.

My three loved taking the Disney Sports Quiz, which helps identify their strengths and gives them ideas for sports and games to try, but any vigorous-intensity activity helps them to strengthen muscles and bones, including ball games, climbing, trampolining, swimming and dancing.

Many parents worry about getting their kids outside in the summer holiday’s, with many children wanting to stay inside gaming and it is a constant battle I face with mine too, particularly Isaac, but getting them outside for an hour each day is good for both their physical and mental health.

We have a “trade-off” system where they earn an hour on technology for doing tasks or heading outside to play and much as they grumble as we walk out the door, they end up having a whale of a time enjoying the great outdoors.

It always helps to find an activity they love and it doesn’t have to cost a fortune – we have found an inexpensive, local caravan park pool which Eliza can use to practice her “mermaiding”.

Another great way of persuading them to head outside is to take a picnic.

Kids love nothing more than spreading out on a picnic blanket, or relaxing on some comfy camping chairs, nibbling on some tasty treats.

Getting the kids to eat healthily is the other challenge facing us during the holiday’s and insight from Change4Life shows children in England are eating an extra 2,800 sugar cubes every year – more than double the recommended guidelines. Half the sugar children are having comes from snacks and sugary drinks.

Too much sugar can lead to harmful fat building up inside and serious health problems, including painful tooth decay. Change4Life recommends water and lower-fat milks are always the best choices when it comes to
drinks for your kids. Water is a no-sugar thirst quencher and milk has calcium, which helps keep your child’s body strong and forms part of a healthy, balanced diet.

YAZOO KiDS is supporting Change 4 Life and you’ll see a Good Choice Badge alongside its Strawberry and Banana flavours in-store as they have found a way of using the sugar found naturally in milk, meaning they don’t have to add extra sugar or sweetener to make their milkshake taste delicious.

YAZOO KiDS is also naturally rich in calcium and protein, low in fat and is a source of vitamin B2, plus it is schools approved so you can pop it in the kids lunchboxes!

Recent research by YAZOO KiDS found:

• 20% of kids never drink milk
• 34% of parents worry their kids are not getting enough calcium
• 64% said their child was a fussy eater
• 92% of parents are worried their child is not eating a balanced diet

If you are struggling to plan healthier meals for the kids, Change4life also has a healthy recipe section which includes lunch box ideas as well as breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes and even a barbecue section.

I have found that letting the kids help prepare their food helps them get engaged with what they are eating and their current favourites things to make are kebabs and wraps!

Our challenge was to document a week of outdoor fun and you can see on the kids faces just how much they enjoyed it!

What are your tips for keeping the kids healthy?

Disclaimer: Post written in collaboration with YAZOO KiDS. All thoughts and opinions are my own.