PLAY Saugeen Shores

Winter 2015

Who are we?

A group of volunteers who are passionate about making our community more

play-friendly!

What do we do?

Plan initiatives to increase the number of residents in Saugeen Shores who

are physically active.

Encourage families, friends, and neighbours to be active together.

Educate residents, organize and implement community events and encourage

policy development in support of active, healthy lifestyles.

Why do this?

Grey and Bruce Counties have a higher incidence of residents who are considered

obese than provincial average. This is due, in part to the fact that only 56% of

Grey Bruce residents were considered active or moderately active.

ATTENTION PLAY PARTNERS, We Want to Hear from YOU!

To get this seasonal online guide to be barrier free fun and up and running we

are looking for your help. Please write us an article about how you get

involved with PLAY and how play can effects your daily life, what benefits play

provides you, and of course we want to know what you like to do for fun!

Please send feedback, updates, event partnership ideas, and anything you’d

like to learn more about to: Jessica Linthorne; linthornej@saugeenshores.ca.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Thirsty for Play

Have you ever noticed that the first thing athletes do after playing is grab a bottle of water to drink? Finding the right beverage to keep hydrated is one of the most important parts of fueling yourself for active living. Your muscles rely on fluid balance to work properly and when you are active, your body sweats to stay cool. If you do not drink enough you will get dehydrated. This is particularly true on hot and humid days or if you are wearing bulky gear like hockey padding. Dehydration can make play difficult by causing you to feel overheated and tired. Energy drinks, sports drinks, juices, iced teas, and pops fill the market and are often promoted at sporting events – but are they the best choice? For most activities nothing satisfies thirst better than a tall glass of water. For extra flavour try adding fresh berries, lemon, lime, orange or cucumber slices to your water. Sports drinks are made of fluids to keep you cool and replace your body’s water, carbohydrates for quick energy, and sodium and potassium to replace minerals that are lost in sweat. These drinks can be a useful choice during more intense or long lasting (at least 1 hour) activities, when you are sweating a lot. Be cautious of portion size, many sports drinks are sold in large bottles, well above your actual needs.

Chocolate milk is often promoted as a ‘recovery beverage’ for replenishing fluids, protein, and sugars used by your body during exercise. For most of us, regular meals and snacks can meet your body’s needs for activity or play. Unless you are a high level athlete, there is little need for a recovery beverage beyond water. It’s best to avoid drinking fizzy drinks, like pop, or other sweet drinks like fruit juice, fruit drinks, lemonade, or energy drinks. These drinks contain too much sugar and can cause cramping or stomach upset making it more difficult to play well. Hydration is essential to feeling great while enjoying the activities Grey Bruce has to offer all year round. Stay well hydrated before, during and after exercise to play at your best.

Homemade Sports Drink

Ingredients:

Sugar ¼ cup 50 g

Salt ¼ tsp 1 mL

Hot water ¼ cup 60 mL

Orange juice (not from concen-trate)

¼ cup 60 mL

Lemon juice 2 Tbsp 30 mL

Cold water 3.5 cups 875 mL

Directions:

1) In the bottom of a pitcher, dissolve the sugar and salt in hot water.

2) Add the juice and the remaining water; stirring together.

3) Chill in the fridge. Enjoy during exercise!

*Try using different juice mixtures for a variety flavours.

Makes 4 servings (258 g /serving). 1 serving = 1 cup (250 mL).

Adapted From: Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Handbook

Prepared By: Jennifer Broxterman, Registered Dietitian & Sports Nutritionist

Website: http://www.nutritionrx.ca/homemade-sports-drink/

Power Works Association Supports Play

The Power Workers Union has graciously donated $1800 to the Saugeen Shores PLAY Network, to enhance

programming/promotions while continuing to offer free community events and activities. “Our group is

passionate about keeping kids active – we’ve held a number of events through 2014 and this funding will

ensure we are able to continue to offer events in 2015. Ultimately we’re reminding people how important it

is to play, everyday” said Teresa Brown, Saugeen Shores Play volunteer. The Power Workers Union

supported Play’s application to their funding program ,which has a focus on community events and

promotional campaigns to promote awareness about the

importance of physical activity. The Saugeen Shores Play

Network is a branch of the regional group “Play Bruce Grey”.

Dress right to be able to PLAY comfortably

Outside all Fall and Winter

Be aware of the weather

When the temperature is just above or just below freezing, the chance that you will get wet increases. This is because the air holds more moisture at the freezing point than when the temperature is very cold. When it is very cold it is easier to stay dry. Take a minute to check the weather forecast. Is there precipitation expected? Snow, freezing rain? What is the humidity and temperature? Will the weather be changing while you are out?

Think about what activities you are going to be doing in the cold Are you going to be very active all the time or on and off? Or are you moving at a steady, leisurely pace? Will you be standing around or sitting a lot? The answer to these questions can help you decide what to wear and how much you will need to be able to adapt your clothing to changing activity.

Dress in layers Layers allow you to be more flexible to changing weather conditions and your own activities. Layers create an air space between the skin and the cold and this space is what insulates best. Layers are also looser, allowing for better blood circulation which helps to maintain body temperature. Three layers: Inner (Base) layer: The skin should be covered in a thin layer that helps to move moisture away from the body. Keeping your skin dry helps keep you warm and comfortable. Your inner layer should cover almost your whole body: arms, legs and torso. Polyester and silk, and related modern materials are best. Cotton is a poor choice.

Middle layer: This is the insulating layer. Wool and fleece work best. The middle layer can be made up of several thin layers. Outer layer: This is the water and wind protection layer. Gore-Tex and nylon are best. Get a long coat so that you can sit comfortably. Coats should have high collars and a hood. You should be able to easily ventilate the coat by loosening sleeve ends, opening zippers under the arms and opening a front zipper. This will help get rid of the moisture inside the coat. For very cold temperatures or for kids rolling around in the snow, bib-type snow pants are a good choice. It is also a good idea to attach tabs to zippers so they can be opened and closed without exposing the hand.

Top 10 Reasons to Come Swimming This Winter

10. Whole Body Work Out

Swimming provides a whole body work out. It offers something no other aerobic exercise does: the ability to work your body without harsh impact to your skeletal system. It also provides the body a natural resistance so it works the muscles more efficiently.

9. Relaxing Source of Exercise

Not only is swimming a relaxing activity, it also has many benefits for your muscles, and provides a means to work stiff muscles and sore joints, especially if you're overweight or suffer from arthritis. It's also been proven that water-based exercise improves the use of affected joints and decreases pain from osteoarthritis. [Source: CDC]. 8. Muscle Tone Swimming is a great way to increase muscular strength and muscle tone -- especially compared to several other aerobic exercises. A swimmer, on the other hand, is propelling himself through water -- a substance about twelve times as dense as air [source: Yeager]. That means that every kick and every arm stroke becomes a resistance exercise -- and it's well known that resistance exercises are the best way to build muscle tone and strength.

7. Improved Flexibility Swimming puts the body through a broad range of motion that helps joints and ligaments stay loose and flexible. The arms move in wide arcs, the hips are engaged as the legs scissor through the water, and the head and spine twist from side to side. Plus, with every stroke, as you reach forward, you're

lengthening the body, which not only makes it more efficient in the water it also helps give you a good stretch from head to toe. 6. Healthy Heart Swimming helps the most important muscle: the heart. Because swimming is an aerobic exercise, it strengthens the heart, helping it become more efficient in pumping -- which leads to better blood flow throughout your body. If that's not enough to get you moving in the pool, the American Heart Association reports that just 30 minutes of exercise per day, such as swimming, can reduce coronary heart disease in women by 30 to 40 percent. 5. Weight Control Swimming is recognized as one of the biggest calorie burners around, and it's great for keeping weight un-der control. As a general rule, for every 10 minutes of swimming: the breast stroke will burn 60 calories; the backstroke will burn 80; the freestyle burns 100; and the butterfly stroke incinerates an impressive 150. 4. Improves Asthma Symptoms Unlike exercising in the often dry air of the gym, or contending with seasonal allergies or frigid winter air, swimming provides the chance to work out in moist air, which can help reduce exercise-induced asthma. Even those without asthma could benefit from swimming, as the exercise can increase lung volume and teach proper breathing techniques.

3. Lowers Cholesterol Being healthy is more about having the right ratio of cholesterol in your body than just having low amounts of the stuff in your blood. Specifically, it's beneficial to have higher levels of "good" cholesterol (HDL) and lower levels of LDL, or "bad" cholesterol. Swimming can get these levels in the right balance thanks to its aerobic power, which has been proven to raise HDL levels. And for every 1 percent increase in HDL cholesterol, the risk of dying from heart dis-ease drops by 3.5 percent [source: Bobalik]. What's more, studies have shown that aerobic exer-cises like swimming can also keep your endothelium in good shape. What's your endothelium, you might wonder? It's the thin layer of cells that lines your ar-teries, and it tends to lose flexibility as you age. In one study of people in their sixties who participated in aerobic exercise, however, endothelium function was found to be equal to those 30 to 40 years young-er. The theory is that because aerobic exercise causes arteries to expand and contract, it keeps them fit [source: Bobalik]. 2. Lowers Risk of Diabetes When it comes to warding off diabetes, there are few prescriptions as powerful as aerobic exercise. In one study, men reduced their risk of diabetes by an aver-age of 6 percent for every 500 calories a week they burned in aerobic exercise [source: Bobalik]. With just 30 minutes of breaststroke swimming three times per week, you could burn 900 calories -- reducing your risk of contracting type 2 diabetes by over 10 percent. A study that focused on women also suggested the same benefits for them. Vigorous exercise just once a week (like the kind derived from a robust swimming session) lowered their risk of contracting type 2 dia-betes by 16 percent over inactive women [source: Bobalik].

And, if you already have type 1 diabetes, the aerobic benefits of swimming can be particularly helpful, as this type of exercise can increase insulin sensitivity [source: University of Maryland]. 1. Stress Reliever Swimming releases the feel-good chemicals known as endorphins -- one of swimming's most pleasant side effects. In addition to a natural high, swimming can also evoke the relaxation response the same way yoga works on the body. This is due in large part to the constant stretching and relaxing of your muscles combined with deep rhythmic breathing. Swimming is also a meditative exercise, with the sound of your own breathing and the splash of the water acting as a mantra of sorts that can help you "drown out" all other distractions. If the previous ten reasons weren't enough to convince you of the health benefits of swimming, perhaps this one will: It can keep you from dying. We're not promising Aquaman-like immortality, but it seems that swimming can at least help you avoid dying prematurely. Researchers at the University of South Carolina followed 40,547 men, aged 20 to 90, for 32 years and discovered that those who swam had a 50 percent lower death rate than runners, walkers or men who got no exercise. The study authors concluded that the same benefits would be equal for women. AND those are just some reasons to come to Centennial Pool this winter. See you at the Pool! Please take this article to Centennial Pool and get a

free trial of any of our swim programs.

Active Healthy Kids 2014 Report Card — Kids Need Room To Move

When Canada is considered in a global context, we are a developed country. But when looking at the lifestyles of our children and youth, it might be more accurate to say we are overdeveloped. Canada is among the leaders in our relatively sophisticated policies, places and programs, with a B+ in Community & the Built Environment, a C+ in School and a C+ in Organized Sport Participation:

95% of parents report local availability of parks and outdoor spaces, and 94% report local availability of public facilities and programs for physical activity, such as pools, arenas and leagues.123

There is a physical education (PE) curriculum in place at schools in every province and territory, PHE Canada and most students have regular access to a gymnasium (95%), playing fields (91%) and areas with playground equipment (73%) during school hours.112

75% of Canadian kids aged 5-19 participate in organized physical activities or sport.25

Unfortunately, even though we excel in these areas, Canada’s Overall Physical Activity levels are at a D-, clustered near the back of the pack with Australia (D-), Ireland (D-), the United States (D-) and Scotland (F). Even though 84% of Canadian kids aged 3-4 are active enough to meet guidelines, this falls to only 7% of kids meeting guidelines at ages 5-11, and only 4% meeting guidelines at ages 12-17.2009-11 CHMS.

The question is, if our policies, places and programs are well developed, why is this not translating into enough activity for our kids? It seems that we have built it, but they are not coming. Canada lags behind most of the international group in Active Transportation (D) and Sedentary Behaviours (F):

62% of Canadian parents say their kids aged 5-17 years are always driven to and from school (by car, bus, transit, etc.).42

Canadian kids aged 3-4 spend 5.8 hours a day being sedentary, those aged 5-11 spend 7.6 hours and those aged 12-17 spend 9.3 hours.2009-11 CHMS

Why are our kids sitting more and moving less? The answer requires a hard look at our culture of convenience. For most Canadians, the socially acceptable walking distance to school is less than 1.6 km, and distance between home and school is the single most reported reason why kids do not walk or bike to get there.69, 82 In Finland, however, 74% of children who live between 1-3 km from school use active transport, and nearly all children living 1 km or less from their school commute actively. Finland is a world leader with a B in Active Transportation, in part because its social norms differ dramatically.

Our country values efficiency – doing more in less time which may be at direct odds with promoting children’s health. We have engineered opportunities for spontaneous movement (such as getting to places on foot and playing outdoors) out of our kids’ daily lives, and have tried to compensate with organized activities such as dance recitals, soccer leagues and PE classes. Canadian parents look to structured activities and schools to get their kids moving:

82% of parents agree that the education system should place more importance on providing quality PE.17

79% of parents contribute financially to their kids’ physical activities (through equipment, fees, etc.), but only 37% of parents often play actively with their children.97

Organized sports and plenty of places and spaces for activity may never make up for lost (active) time:

One study shows only 24% of kids got a full 60 minutes of moderate/ vigorous activity in one session of soccer, and only 2% got this at softball practice.34, 35

Kids on hockey teams spend close to half of the time during practices in moderate/vigorous activity, but in an actual game they are sedentary nearly a third of the time.185

In Canada, there is a tendency to build more, do more and impose more structure, but perhaps these efforts are somewhat misguided. In New Zealand, which leads the pack with a B in Overall Physical Activity and a B in Active Play, university researchers created a global media storm in early 2014 with preliminary reports of a study looking at ways to encourage active play in children. When 4 elementary schools banned all safety-based playground rules, not only did the students get more active, the administrators reported an immediate drop in bullying, vandalism and injuries. In this case, less was more.

To increase daily physical activity levels for all kids, we must encourage the accumulation of physical activity throughout a child’s day, and consider a mix of opportunities (e.g., sport, active play, active transportation). In some cases, we may need to step back and do less. Developed societies such as Canada must acknowledge that children need room to move.

Dangers of Winter Play

To adventurous & creative children snow is the ultimate plaything, but it can also be dangerous. Every year children who live in northern climates are injured or killed while playing in snow. Here are some tips to stay safe:

Do not tunnel into snowbanks, or build roofed snow forts. Tunnels can collapse, trapping and suffocating children.

Do not play around roadside snow banks. Snow plow operators and other drivers may not see youngsters playing near the road, or be able to control their vehicle in a sudden stop.

Do not play under rooflines— falling snow and icicles can cause serious injury.

Young children should always be supervised while playing outside.

Older children who can play outside inde-pendently should always be with a friend who can call for help.

Use extreme caution when venturing onto rivers, lakes, streams or ponds.

Where a helmet when tobogganing, and avoid hills with hazards such as trees, fences and rocks. ( Source: Upper Grand District School Board)

The ideas on this PLAY map are just the tip of the iceberg to Winter PLAY ideas in Saugeen Shores!

Everyone should stay active all winter long to remain healthy and strong.

New Program for Children Aged 4-11 Run by the Bruce County Barbarian Rugby Team Wave Minor Flag Rugby

The Bruce County Wave Minor Flag Rugby program is aimed to grow the sport of rugby in our area. We have teams for children from age 4-11 with a focus on fun, fitness and friendship. This skills-based program aims to build teamwork; teaching the rules of the sport while creating an inclusive environment where all children are made to feel valued and accepted. We pride ourselves on a fun-filled environment with coaches that love the sport and want to pass their enthusiasm of the game onto our youngest club members. In the past we have had countless parents tell us that they weren't sure about signing their children up for rugby, only to be delighted by their children's love of the sport. "They run and play and laugh for 60 minutes, then go home and collapse." One mom tells us that Tuesday nights are the only nights she doesn't have to wrestle her son into bed. He arrives home from practice exhausted and asking "How many more sleeps until rugby?" Rugby is a sport that encourages camaraderie. Rugby clubs are family organizations. Come out and see what the BCRFC has for your family!

Centennial Pool Swim Lesson Schedules

are available online for the

Mini Session from Feb 17 – Mar 31

& March Break 2015 (March 16-20)

Register online at

www.saugeenshores.ca

Visit us on the web at www.playbrucegrey.com or

Like us on facebook—PLAY in Bruce Grey or

Follow us on Twitter @PLAYBruceGrey