As the trees begin to burst and the flowers slowly peek their heads above ground, I say goodbye to my first winter here in the Upper Valley. I know I had an easy first go of it, but I can not deny that, as a New Yorker, I was appreciative for the “intro” into wintery driving conditions.
Despite our lack of snow, I spent most of my winter days organizing the Passport to Winter Fun, an elementary school fitness program designed by the Upper Valley Trails Alliance to encourage children and their families to stay active during the winter. Participants receive “passport” booklets in which they track the amount of days they are active for one hour or more. As the students reach certain achievement milestones, they receive fun incentive prizes, such as free ski passes or a free day of rock climbing.
Since the start of this program in 2006, UVTA has handed out over 38,000 passports to children in 40 Upper Valley elementary schools. Of the students who completed their passports, 72% of them have reported being more active after finishing the program. The proven benefits of increased outdoor activity and exercise for children are endless: decreased stress, improved energy levels, and higher focus and performance in school, as well as the improved overall physical well-being of the child.
As I organized this year’s Passport, I had many long hours to reflect on my own thoughts about exercise while driving to the dozens of participating schools in the area. What I have come to realize is that exercise for kids is simply playing. Stand on the side of a playground and watch the kids run and chase each other with a seemingly endless supply of energy and you will witness the element of joy that is present in their exercise. As we get older, however, exercise can feel a lot more like a chore than something we love to do.
We have all been there, struggling with the thought of having to get to the gym, instead of actually wanting to go to the gym. Even people I know who seem to have the most fun being active have admitted to those days of “I don’t want to but I know I should….”. Going from school to school in the UV and hearing students’ stories about all the fun they had completing their Passports, it is important to remember that exercise should be fun, and a critical component to making exercise fun is doing what you enjoy.
As our country’s obesity rate climbs and being active outdoors takes a back-seat to “screen-time”, the Passport program truly addresses a critical societal need. While the residents of New Hampshire and Vermont are on average more active than those in other states, the reality is that even the twin states are seeing a steady increase in obesity rates. According to the Trust for America’s Health and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, both states have seen adult obesity rates increase from about 10% of the population in 1990 to over 25% in 2014.
While observing the energy and passion of the kids in the Upper Valley, I became more aware of how I use my time to exercise. Whether it was the March yoga pass that provided me with an immense amount of stress-relief or the daily walks I took in the Mink Brook Preserve behind my house, I paid more attention to what truly makes me happy and healthy. Despite my best efforts, running is something I enjoy only once every few months, and I don’t think I will ever like rock climbing (to the dismay of my roommate). But put me at the base of Mount Ascutney and I will hike up and down all day with a grin on my face.
The truth is that the Passport to Winter Fun is as applicable for our children as it is for us. So play with your dog, chase your kids with snowballs, or check out UVTA’s Trail Finder for some new hiking trails. Do whatever it is that you think is fun. Just get outside. By making exercise fun again we can truly develop sustainable healthy lifestyles both for our children and for ourselves.
Laura Romig is the program coordinator with the Upper Valley Trails Alliance. She can be reached at laura.romig@uvtrails.org or 802-649-9075.