The Magic of Outdoors

Every parent of my generation agrees over the benefits of spending time outdoors for kids, and laments about how kids are spending fewer hours outside. Compare the situation with our own childhood. We would be raring to go outside and play.

There are several benefits of spending time outdoors for the kids as well as for us.

1. Vitamin D

We all know sunlight is the primary source of Vitamin D [more specifically Vitamin D3] and thanks to certain advertisements, we also know how Vitamin D is essential for the absorption of Calcium in the body. Our traditional wisdom has also vouched for keeping babies in sunlight. But in reality, as more and more people are living in apartments, they are hardly spending any time in the sun. Reference this article to read more about Vitamin D.

Personally, whether it is summertime or winters, I try to take the toddler in the sun for half an hour at least every alternate day. It gives me and the toddler our dosage of Vitamin D. 

2. Taking a Break on difficult days

With young kids, there are days when nothing seems to work, no toy seems to be interesting enough, no activity seems to be stimulating enough, and then there are some days when you do not feel like cleaning up the mess. So, what is your best bet? Outdoors! It always works like a magic. It also gives you a change of scene, and there is always

something or the other to look at or play with.

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The Updates from yesterday [UBC Post 9]

Image courtesy: makeupandbeauty.com

We have started implementing the plans we made yesterday.

To begin with, today I managed 200 jumps (I don't know what else it is called) in rope skipping. I am at ease with skipping so I can easily reach 500 reps in a few days. I also need to incorporate half an hour of brisk walking or jogging soon.

Morning, when I was about to start my breakfast, one of my friends called up. She asked me what I was doing. I said I was about to savour my breakfast – poha and tea. She said, 'OK, then forget it'. I insisted, ‘no, tell me’. She said, ‘I was thinking if you would be interested in GM diet.’ She was basically looking for a partner to begin this difficult dieting program, for motivation. I am very clear, I will never do dieting. That’s just not me. We usually don’t eat much junk food. I don’t think food is that much an issue with me because I eat enough veggies and not more than 2 chapatis at one time. I realize that once I get regular with exercises like walking / jogging / skipping / yoga, I will nail it. I am not losing my sleep on it. Few kgs here and there is alright. What is a perfect body anyways? Are we ever happy with what we have? 

Image courtesy: bolsboardgames.com

We also played Scrabble today after putting the little one to sleep, like old days. But of course, then we used to play for hours, now we stick to a time. Whoever has the higher score by then, wins. The strange thing is that though I know more words, my husband always wins. The thing is he is able to think up a lot of big or multiple words. He even takes a lot of risks by framing weird words, which in his case mostly turn out to be actual words!