In my DVD Activate & Be Great The CAMPUS Kids and get ready for one of our fit-family-fun performances by practicing our songs and dances. In the Summertime we perform those shows live 4-5 times a week. In the Winter it’s only a couple of times a month. It can be hard to stay active when the weather makes you want to burrow underneath the covers to stay warm. At my house we have turned our family game night into a family video game night that involves physical competitions using the Wii. In the event of a power outage we break out our mini trampolines and have jumping contests in the living room. Anything to get our blood pumping. That’s the trick, whatever you do make sure you raise your heart rate and break a little sweat. That along with healthy meals throughout the day, will ensure a peaceful nights sleep. Like I always say, “Active Play, Healthy Food, and Peaceful Sleep” added together equal AWESOME Fun!

SMILE On!

Miss Lori

“The weather outside is frightful which makes it hard to get regular exercise. What do you do in the winter months to keep yourself active, healthy and fit?”

Abi age 10~
During the winter I take dance classes and play Wii fit a lot. I drink a lot of water and try to eat healthy snacks like apples, strawberries, grapes and carrots. I also like doing sit-ups and push-ups with my mom and brother. We have competitions and it is fun.

Sinead age 17~

In Winter, show choir season really starts up at my high school. With rigorous dances, I get so much exercise rehearsing every week! I never dance harder throughout the year than I do in Winter, because competition season begins in January, and the months leading up to competitions are spent solely on dancing our butts off to prepare for competing! I also teach gymnastics throughout the winter. I think it’s really important to stay active, even throughout the winter, and teaching gymnastics helps me to get the exercise I need on an almost daily basis while I’m at work. Plus, it’s fun! I really love being active and running around, so I make sure to stay fit throughout Winter!

Tess age 9~
To keep my self healthy and fit I do indoor speed skating, (and of course gym at school).

McKenna age 11~
Well I dance all Winter long… It’s my winter sport. My dance team rehearses more in the winter than in the summer…. but during Winter Break… I love playing in the snow!!!!! We have a BIG hill right behind our house. No more than 5 minutes… (well not when we’re in snow gear). I love going to the hill with my friends. Last year they were doing construction and my older brother Jason and I went to the hill to find a GINORMOUS hill of dirt. It was SO steep and SO much fun to go on. I also like going to my friends houses and making snowmen and drinking hot chocolate. That takes a lot of energy!!!! (no joke!!!!). If we’re not found at my friends houses, we like going to the YMCA. Most the time we go swimming. They have a diving board and if we get lucky the diving board will be open and all we have to do is take a couple minute swimming test and we’re in!!!! This year we’re old enough to go in the exercise room, so we might go there this year, I’m not sure though. Thats how we get exercise in the cold winter months though!!!!!!!

Elita age 9~
My family and I are concerned on how to stay fit, but we found an answer! We will do exercise tapes and jog on our mini tramp! I think those are two great solutions!

Kyra age 11~
Sometimes we choose to take public transportation instead of driving places. Since the train station is 6 blocks away from our house, I get exercise that way. At Christmas and other seasonal holidays with lots of sweets, I try not to eat to much!

Jaedyn age 6~
I do the Wii Fit Plus! My favorite games are Hula Hoop, Ski Jump and Obstacle Course. I like them because they are really fun and really active. The Hula Hoop is really active because you are moving around like you have a hula hoop on your waist.

Ava age 11~
During the winter season I like to swim and when the weather is nice I ride my bike or walk. If there is snow on the ground I might have a HUGE snowball fight with my neighbors. I also live near a forest and my family and I take long walks with my dog.

Ariana age 9~
I love being active. My favorite activity to do when it is cold outside is swimming! Yes, I said swimming but of course, it would indoors! Swimming is my favorite activity because it works out all of the muscles in your body. My mom, sister and I play games in the pool. Sometimes we pretend to be mermaids and other times we will play water volleyball. For some reason, even other sports seem more fun when you play them in the water!

Anaiya age 7~
I love doing gymnastics! I just started taking gymnastics classes and I love doing it and the best part is, you can do gymnastics even when it’s cold outside! I am learning to do flips and handstands the right way so that I don’t hurt myself and I get to learn with my friends which makes it even more fun!

Maybe I had expectations that were a tad too wild, or maybe had standards that were a tad too high; but to put it plainly, it disappointed. I wasn’t exactly expecting “Dancing with the Stars”, but I wasn’t anticipating blaring rap music for 4 ½ hours and sore glute muscles either.  My idea of a high school dance couldn’t have been more off-target.

The only thing people were doing at that dance was juking, which is your mother’s “bump ‘n grind”, but on steroids.  I’m sorry to say that I am probably scarred for life.  That type of dancing isn’t bad, of course, but I felt incredibly awkward and spent the whole night standing with a few friends, talking about how uncomfortable we felt.

Well, now that I think about it, my expectations for school dances are always wrong.  After talking to a few friends about it, I found out that the same thing happens to them as well.  So what’s with this?  Why are our expectations always a smidge too high when it comes to dances?  I think I know the answer: movies.  It’s the movies with those overly romantic scenes where a handsome prince charming finally builds up the courage and asks a perfect, beautiful girl to dance.  I have a feeling that this is a fantasy.  No, scratch that.  I know that this is a fantasy.

But this doesn’t faze me.  So what if I don’t get to dance with a guy to a song about the glittering stars and eternal love?  I’d probably step on Mr. Wonderful’s foot anyways.  Yes!  You know what; I think I’ve just had an epiphany.  I’m glad that I didn’t get asked.  I mean, what’s the matter with just hanging out with your friends?  What’s the matter with not caring if you’re going to be invited to awkwardly juke with some guy you barely know?  I’ll tell you what: nothing!

So girls, if you’re at some party and that man friend of yours isn’t asking you that question, shake it off!  I can guarantee you, you aren’t missing much. You know what? That’s what I’m going to do at the next dance. I’m just going to hang out, with no worries whatsoever.

Unless of course, someone does ask me…….