TAC Board: The Alaska Club Blog

I am a mother to three children, who were all born within three years (2006-2009). I was in “advanced maternal age” when I had my first baby, so my husband and I went for it and had two more without thinking about it because we didn’t have time to waste. Parenthood is amazing in all the ways everyone promised it would be, except it isn’t always amazing for the workout routine! I am happy to share some strategies I employed to survive and stay in sort-of “good” shape and sane…. And also share some of my favorite moments doing events with my kids.

Help your kids build healthy habits for the future by being physically active together. Find fun family fitness ideas to enjoy & stay healthy.

Just two weeks ago, I attended an education conference in New York City on learning and brain activity in youth and children. The chief concern at this conference was the preponderance of screen time, primarily cell phone usage, teachers witness among their students. While studies have not made a direct correlation to the rise of anxiety and depression seen among children and youth to electronic device habits, bullying and obesity have been positively correlated to cell phone usage by these groups. Consistent with these findings is a greater sense of social alienation found among children and teens who are now logging long hours on their electronic devices and becoming sleep-deprived in the process.

Let's us set the scene: You are in the kitchen trying to make dinner for your little brood. Jimmy is running laps around the house because he thinks "open concept kitchen-living area" really means "the perfect place to see if I can break the sound barrier." Sara, who is usually somewhat sensible, has positioned the cushions from the couch under the stairs to create a soft landing area in case she falls from the banister, which obviously she must climb as if it is some building in a Tom Cruise/Mission Impossible stunt. And of course baby is bouncing quietly, acting like an angel, but giving you a look that says "yeah, just wait until I'm mobile..."

If more laps in the pool are on your New Year’s resolution list, you are in luck. The Alaska Club in Eagle River opened its new pool and splash park facility during the holidays adding a welcome addition to indoor aquatic opportunities in the Chugiak-Eagle River area. The pool is 25 yards in length with four lanes across. A saltwater filtration system is used for the pool. The water, however, is not saltwater thus there is not full buoyancy in the pool.