Column: Make a resolution to play - Lexington Dispatch

Did you make a New Year’s resolution for 2020? With the start of a fresh new year many of us are motivated to make changes in our life like exercising more, eating healthier meals, or spending less time on social media, but give up after only a few weeks.

Changing habits can be hard, especially when we’ve been doing the same thing for a long time.

One way to keep the motivation going is to do a little homework before you begin. It’s never too late to make your plan and get started.

First, think about why you continue the habit you’d like to change. What do you enjoy about it? What are the benefits of your present behavior?

For some people, unhealthy habits are caused by boredom or stress and the reward for the behavior is that those unpleasant feelings fade somewhat. Perhaps your family’s life so busy that you simply don’t have time to exercise/cook/modify the behavior you want to change.

After you know why you struggle to maintain changes, do a little brainstorming about how you might modify about your life so that you can include the new habits you’d like to adopt. Give yourself permission to think outside the box. A crazy idea might just lead to something that will work!

If the couch is calling at the end of your meal, maybe you could start by taking a short walk before sitting down? Can you chop vegetables or cook large batch meals and freeze extras on the weekend? Maybe get the family involved to help to make the process go faster.

If you adopt a new habit but fall back into the old one, acknowledge the slip and start again. Don’t accept failure and give up. New habits can be hard to get used to but the more you persist, the easier it may be. Use positive self-talk to tell yourself that you can do this.

Like the old adage of falling off a horse, just get back on and keep going. If you’re trying to make a change like increasing exercise, it may be helpful to start out slowly and build up as your strength and energy increase. Explore how your changes can be fun instead of tedious.

As you look for ways to improve yourself, the children in your life may be making resolutions as well. Do you know any children who make a decision to play more? Most of us don’t think about play as much more than what children do to amuse themselves yet playing and having fun is something people of all ages can do to be healthier and feel good.

For many children playing often means staring at a screen and pressing buttons. While this can be educational and has its place, being physically active plays an important role in a child’s growth and development.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, children who are physically active benefit in many ways. They build strong bones and muscles, tend to have better grades, school attendance, behavior, and memory.

Active children are less likely to experience symptoms of anxiety and depression and have a reduced risk of developing health conditions such as heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and obesity as they get older.

Being active as a child also increases the chance of continuing an active lifestyle as an adult.

What do you suppose would happen if we all made a New Year’s resolution to play more? Playing doesn’t end when we reach a certain age. It’s believed that the more playful we are into adulthood, the more likely we are to remain physically and emotionally healthy as we age.

The kind of play we take part in depends on our current health and abilities, but there are things for almost everyone. I began a list of playful activities and challenge you to add your own fun activities too! Here we go…

Walk, hike, play on a trampoline or playground, swing, walk on a balance beam, play football, basketball, baseball, soccer, ride bikes (don’t forget your helmet!), hula hoop, jump on a pogo stick, swim, ski, roller skate/roller blade, play hopscotch, run, jog, turn up the music and dance, play badminton, cornhole, or frisbee, cross monkey bars, ice skate, bowl, shuffleboard, play Twister, jump rope, rake leaves and jump into them, grow a garden, walk on the beach and pick up shells, play mini-golf, go geocaching, visit a zoo or museum, visit a you-pick farm for apples or strawberries. I’m sure I’ve missed a lot! What else can you add?

Even though most children love to be active and play, it can sometimes be challenging to keep them moving, especially when the weather isn’t pleasant.

Be Active Day is a winter event for toddlers and elementary school age children and their adult caregivers. The children will have plenty of play space and toys, and there are opportunities to learn about activities and family fun in Henderson County to do throughout the year.

Be Active Day is a free event on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020 in the Blue Ridge Conference Hall at Blue Ridge Community College.

Learn more about Be Active Day at hendersoncountync.gov/health.

Beverly Clark is the health promotion coordinator for Henderson County Department of Public Health.