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HomeResources and SupportA-Z resourcesHealthy active living

Healthy active living

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Below you will find a variety of resources to help you better understand healthy, active living.

Books

Better baby food: your essential guide to nutrition, feeding & cooking for all babies & toddlers

Kalnins, Daina -- Toronto: Robert Rose, 2008.

Helps parents decide what nutritious and healthy food to feed their toddlers.

The body image workbook for teens: activities to help girls develop a healthy body image in an image-obsessed world

Taylor, Julia V. -- Oakland, CA: Instant Help Books, 2014.

In this workbook the reader will find practical exercises and tips that address the most common factors that can lead to negative body image, including: comparison, negative self-talk, unrealistic media images, societal and family pressures, perfectionism, toxic friendships, and a fear of disappointing others. They will also learn powerful coping strategies to deal with the daily, intense pressures of being a teenage girl.

Body respect: what conventional health books get wrong, leave out, and just plain fail to understand about weight 

Bacon, Linda. -- Dallas: BenBella Books, 2014.

This book debunks common myths about weight, including the misconceptions that BMI can accurately measure health and that dieting will improve health. It’s time to overcome our culture’s shame and distress about weight, to get real about inequalities and health, and to show every body respect.

Eating mindfully for teens: a workbook to help you make healthy choices, end emotional eating and feel great

Albers, Susan. -- Oakland, CA: Instant Help Books, 2018.

This book will show how to deal with the day-to-day challenges of making healthy decisions about food. Instead of resorting to fad diets, learn how to avoid overeating in the first place, be more aware of your body, and really enjoy meals, instead of just popping food in your mouth without thinking.

Embracing rough-and-tumble play: teaching with the body in mind

Huber, Mike. -- St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press, 2017.

This practical, hands-on resource encourages you to incorporate boisterous physical play into every day and offers concrete advice on how to create spaces for safe play, how to effectively work big body movement into children's daily schedule, and how to use physical play to make teaching practice more dynamic and effective.

The family table: recipes and strategies for the challenge

Breton, Marie -- Markham, ON: Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2007.

This book offers over 100 recipes designed not only to get kids gathered around the dinner table, but also to get them helping out in meal prep.

Fit kids: a practical guide to raising healthy and active children from birth to teens

Gavin, Mary -- Toronto: DK Ltd. 2004.

A parent's guide to promoting fitness in children discusses the principles of good nutrition, exercise, and overall well-being, presenting an easy-to-follow program to help children overcome the challenges of a twenty-first-century sedentary lifestyle, develop good eating and health habits, and understand the benefits of physical activity.

Food and fitness matter: raising healthy, active kids [DVD]

California: Parents' Action for children, 2006.

This DVD features health and nutrition experts, including former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher and celebrity TV chef Jamie Oliver, who explain the causes and consequences of childhood obesity, and present practical ways parents can improve diet and physical fitness in their homes, schools and communities.

I'm OK!: building resilience through physical play

Green, Jarrod. -- St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press, 2017.

Children must learn to pick themselves up, brush themselves off, and bounce back. How do you allow for the physicality required to build resilience when you are tasked with children's safety? This guide provides the tools and strategies for creating a culture of resilience, including families in the process, and keeping safety front-of-mind.

Last child in the woods: saving our children from nature-deficit disorder

Louv, Richard. -- Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2008.

Nature-deficit disorder is not a medical condition; it is a description of the human costs of alienation from nature. This alienation damages children and shapes adults, families, and communities. There are solutions, though, and they're right in our own backyard.

Living the good life: your guide to health and success

Patchell-Evans, David. -- Toronto: ECW Press, 2006.

Designed as a comprehensive guide to good health, practical tips are offered on motivation as well as exercise and healthy eating habits.

Mealtime solutions for your baby, toddler and preschooler: the ultimate no-worry approach for each age and stage

Douglas, Ann -- Mississauga, ON: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., 2006.

Featuring real world solutions, this reassuring guide gives you information on: getting your child off to a healthy start nutrition-wise, introducing first foods the step-by-step no-worry way, serving up toddler and preschooler-friendly meals and snacks, dining in and dining out, coping with picky eaters and nourishing sick kids.

Raising a healthy, happy eater: a parent's handbook: a stage-by-stage guide to setting your child on the path to adventurous eating

New York, NY: The Experiment, 2015.

The right start on a child's food journey is necessary for good health, motor skills, and even cognitive and emotional development. Fernando and Potock show you how to expand your family's food horizons, avoid the picky eater trap, identify special feeding needs, and put joy back into mealtimes.

The real sexy smart and strong: 30 tips to boost confidence, get fit and feel great, inside and out

Patchell-Evans, David -- Mississauga, ON: Wiley, 2009.

With this book, you will learn how to experience high levels of vital energy, become smarter and stronger, and make the very best of your body. You want to get started with something new - and make positive changes in your life - but where to begin? You will learn how to choose a gym, how to navigate the early days of starting your exercise routine, and what pitfalls to watch out for.

Running: start to finish

Stanton, John. -- Edmonton: Lone Pine Pub., 1999.

Highly acclaimed for its content and design, this running guide is a great resource for all runners. It includes everything you need to start a running program plus plenty to keep you running for years to come. Topics include training programs, nutrition, weight training, injuries, stretching, cross-training, marathons and more.

Understanding getting active 

deLoache, Shawn; Quigley, Columba. -- New York: Medikidz USA, Inc., 2018.

In graphic novel format, the Medikidz, superheroes from the planet Mediland, help the reader and Jenna understand the importance of being active.

Walking and light running

Bos, Klaus -- New York: Barnes & Noble, 2004.

Walking strengthens your heart, takes off pounds, and reduces stress. This book will help you stay on track by developing a routine that you can easily stick to, no matter the weather or how busy your schedule.

Walking for weight loss

Knight, Lucy -- Heatherton, VIC, Australia: Hinkler Books, 2007.

As a refreshing alternative to complex dance routines and over-priced gym memberships, walking is a way to slim down, tone up and get active on a daily basis. This title shows you how to set yourself realistic goals, how to assess how hard you are working and how to try out different styles of walking while also providing you with an eating plan.

Pamphlets

Physical activity for kids

Understanding physical activity with body contact

Physical activity guidelines with low heart rates

Exercise tests

Helping your child or youth spend more time outdoors

You are free to copy and redistribute these materials in any medium or format. This work may not be used for commercial purposes. View the full Creative Commons license. 

Websites

  • Participaction
  • Healthy Habits – Sesame Street
  • Food and Nutrition - Health Canada
  • Unlock Food
  • Dietitians of Canada
  • Healthy Living - Public Health Agency of Canada
  • Physical Activity for Children and Youth - Caring for Kids
  • Hearty Healthy Activity – Heart and Stroke Foundation
  • Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines

YouTube

Free Play – CHEO videos

Apps

Push2Play – Active Games for Kids

  • From Saskatchewan Blue Cross
  • Free
  • Available from iTunes

Disclaimer

These resources are for educational purposes only. If you have any questions, ask your health-care provider.

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