Let’s Move Pittsburgh Helps Families Prepare for Back to School Season
For Immediate Release: Tues., Aug. 8
Contact: Julie LaBar | Director of Marketing and Communications
412/622-6915, ext. 3801 ǀ jlabar@phipps.conservatory.org
Let’s Move Pittsburgh Helps Families Prepare for Back to School Season
Phipps’ healthy lifestyles initiative provides fast, easy tips and tools for parents and children.
Pittsburgh, Pa. — As parents prepare to send their children back to school, Let’s Move Pittsburgh — a collaborative program of Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens dedicated to building healthy lifestyles in the community — provides valuable new information and resources to help.
Let’s Move Pittsburgh’s Top 5 Back to School Tips:
- Plan ahead for the week – It can be challenging to prepare children’s meals, clothes and supplies on the fly. Making a plan using a calendar the whole family can see means less stress and healthier choices.
- Keep moving – After school ends each day, make a walk down the block or visit to a nearby park a treasured part of your routine. Not only is this healthier and avoids couch potato behaviors, but it will also provide memorable moments for you and your child.
- Stay hydrated – Busy schedules, from sports activities to special events, make drinking water more important than ever. Store reusable water bottles in your refrigerator and car to grab on the go for you and your child.
- Use praise over popsicles – Share quality time and praise with your child, limiting unhealthy use of food and sugary snacks for rewards. Affirmation can provide the best reward of all!
- Make “5-2-1-0” an easy to remember rule for your home - Kids should have 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables, 2 hours or less of recreational screen time, 1 hour or more of physical activity and 0 sugary drinks and more water – every day! Keep score as a family, count out your 5-2-1-0 successes for the day, and see how you improve as a family to make healthy lifestyle choices.
From interactive exhibits at Phipps to a fun ‘red light, green light’ app for the grocery store, Let’s Move Pittsburgh provides the following additional resources for busy families:
- Phipps’ Healthy Choices Market – Kids love to play in Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens’ make-believe farmers market where they can “shop” for healthy foods in an engaging, hands-on environment. Children can learn how to make healthy decisions in the grocery store, play hopscotch and much more.
- Free Family Fitness – Join Let’s Move Pittsburgh and the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh for family fun and fitness at Phipps. Find your balance at yoga classes on Phipps’ front lawn, put on your game face for high intensity interval training, and move and groove during energetic Zumba dance classes. All events are free and all ages are welcome! The next Family Yoga session will be held on Sun., Aug. 13 at 9 a.m. R.S.V.P. today!
- Green Light Foods App – Nutrition facts labels can be difficult to decipher. With this easy-to-use app, users simply scan the barcode on packaged foods and beverages to identify products with the best nutritional profiles. Traffic light colors indicate how much fat, saturated fat, sodium and sugar certain products contain. The mobile app is free, available in the App Store or Google Play Store.
- Healthy Reminders Text Alerts – Keep healthy tips at your fingertips by texting LETSMOVEPGH to 41411. You’ll receive two text messages each week with helpful, healthy tips from medical professionals to keep you informed and on track.
- Champion Schools – Kids spend the majority of their time in school, so it’s vital to make sure they are in a healthy environment all day! To help make this possible, Let’s Move Pittsburgh offers a mini-grant program that celebrates and rewards schools for leading new or existing programs to improve children’s health with the goal of helping every school in Allegheny County become the healthiest place for kids to learn and grow. Applications are taken once a year, and 40 schools are selected each time to receive the mini-grants. Learn more here.
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About Let’s Move Pittsburgh: Let’s Move Pittsburgh, an initiative of Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens supported by UPMC Health Plan, is a collaborative effort of organizations, healthcare providers, educators, parents and caregivers in southwestern Pennsylvania committed to leading children toward a healthier future. The program is inspired by former First Lady Michelle Obama’s Lets’ Move! Campaign to curb childhood obesity through raised awareness about the benefits of healthy foods, decreased screen time and increased physical activity. Learn more and sign up for Let’s Move Pittsburgh’s e-newsletter for additional news, tips and tools at letsmovepittsburgh.org.
About Phipps: Founded in 1893, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, Pa. is a green leader among public gardens with a mission to inspire and educate all with the beauty and importance of plants; to advance sustainability and promote human and environmental well-being through action and research; and to celebrate its historic glasshouse. Learn more: phipps.conservatory.org.
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