Dr. Lisa Belisle: Ready for Spring? Let’s Go!

By Lisa M. Belisle, MD, MPH
Originally published in Parent & Family, March-April 2009

Slogging through March can be a challenge. We’ve survived three months of winter, but the season isn’t quite over. We have mud, we have semi-darkness, and we have cabin fever. It can be tempting to attach ourselves to the couch cushions and refuse to budge until warmer days appear.

But... things are starting to move and change outside our windows. Sap is flowing in the trees. Birds are returning and animals are giving birth. It’s actually the perfect time to get going—which is exactly the message behind the “Let’s Go” program.

The goal of Let’s Go is to “increase physical activity and healthy eating for children and youth - from birth to 18.” A partnership between MaineHealth and several business, health and community-based agencies, Let’s Go offers four simple suggestions:

Eat the good stuff—five servings of fruits and vegetables.
Cut back screen time to two hours daily.
Get physical for one hour a day.
Drink zero sugary drinks, more water and low fat milk.

In other words, remember 5-2-1-0.

Wondering how to approach the Let’s Go numbers game? Try the Let’s Go website. Here you can explore ideas such as ‘nonfood rewards’ for good behavior, and get a list of healthy snack foods. You can help your kids create a ‘healthy drink plan,’ and review the amount of sugar in their beverages. Want to cut back on your family’s screen time? Go to the Let’s Go website to get information on National TV Turnoff Week (April 20-26, 2009), and download a “Healthy Activity Booklist.”

Let’s Go also offers the “Get Up and Go Guide” on their website, which describes activities such as:

Snowshoeing at Five Fields Farm in South Bridgton,
Rollerblading along the Androscoggin River Bike Path in Brunswick,
Swimming in Chandler’s Cove on Chebeague Island, and
Hiking through the Gorham Trails Land Trust.

The “Get Up and Go Guide” has something for everyone in seventy-six pages.

Let’s Go recognizes that the best way to raise healthy children is to get the community involved. Their website promotes the 5-2-1-0 message to schools, daycare providers, and numerous other interested parties. Looking to get healthy snacks in your worksite vending machine or school sports snack bar? Get support from www.letsgo.org.

Although the Let’s Go program targets children under the age of eighteen, the 5-2-1-0 message is not just for kids—it’s for all of us. As we’ve discussed in past articles (see www.drlisabelisle.com), we are our children’s first teachers. How better to teach our children than to model good behavior, and have fun doing it? If children see us reaching for an apple, they will want one, too. If we head out the door for a walk, they will likely want to tag along.

In the end, walking and apple eating are a lot better for us and our children than attaching ourselves to the couch cushions until mud season ends. They are also a lot more fun.

Ready to explore the springtime activities that are happening right outside your window?

Get your kids and Let’s Go!

Join Dr. Belisle for walks along the Royal River in Yarmouth this summer. For more information, visit www.walkthewalkdoc.com.

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