It's officially spring, even though it may not feel like it just yet. So while mother nature warms up the air, you can start warming up your body for some great runs around town. Here is a list of some upcoming runs you can sign up for:

March 26 | Around the Bay 5K
April 1| Beaches Spring Sprint 5K
April 9 | MEC Toronto Road Race TWO 5K 10K 15K 
April 15 | Uxbridge Half Marathon 5K 10K Half-marathon
April 16 | Beaches Easter Day 5K
April 23 | Run4Hope Brampton 5K 10K
April 23 | Backs in Motion 10K Run and 5K Walk
April 30 | Run for Women Unionville 5K 10K 
April 30 | Run/Walk for Southlake 5K
April 30 | MEC Toronto Trail Race ONE 
May 7 | GoodLife Toronto Marathon 5K 10K Half-marathon Marathon Relay
May 13 | Color Me Rad Toronto FunRun

For a complete list of runs you can visit www.runguides.com/toronto/runs.

Most parents can relate to the daily challenges of finding foods that their children will eat and enjoy. Perhaps our job as a parent is to serve and expose our children to a variety of healthy foods whether they choose to eat those foods or not. 

Taste buds do change.   
Toddlers and young children have more taste buds than adults (they decrease as we age). Children can taste the bitter, spicy and salty in foods that a parent may not which means that spinach and broccoli may taste bitter to a child.   

Allow children to take part in food preparations.   
Apart from touching a hot stove, boiling water or sharp knives there are many ways that children can be helpful in the kitchen.  Allowing children to take part in meal preparation is an important step in getting them to try new foods.

Your brain is 2% of your body weight yet uses 20% of the energy of your body.
Children’s brain health and emotional health affects every decision they make every moment of every day. When our children’s brains are nourished with whole foods they function at a very high level.

Nutrition is more important than we think when it comes to your child performing better at school and life. Below are some healthy foods to assist in your child’s brain growth, brain function, memory and concentration.

1. Alaskan Salmon 
Fatty fish like salmon are an excellent source of the omega-3 fatty acids.  DHA and EPA are both found if fatty fish are essential for brain growth and function – especially DHA. The best sources of fatty fish that are high in omega-3’s oils are salmon, mackerel, anchovies and sardines. When purchasing fish in tins limit your amount and purchase in the health section of the store.  When choosing tuna look for “skypjack” as opposed to “albacore” which has more mercury.
​
Lunch Idea: Instead of tuna sandwiches make salmon and mix with “real” mayonnaise, plain yogurt or avocados.  Add organic raisins, chopped celery and carrots. A wonderfully healthy bread is “Silver Hills” Squirrely.  It is sprouted, organic and children love the taste.  Always choose a bread that has at least 4 – 5 grams of fiber per slice.
 

Thrilled, happy, excited smiles. That’s what we see when our “kids” get on the trampoline. And by “kids” we mean everyone from ages 5 to 50. No matter your age, we bet you’ll tune right into your inner-child with the first lift off. It’s just that much fun!
 
But did you know that it’s also extremely beneficial to your health? It’s so beneficial that even NASA took notice. According to their research in the Journal of Applied Physiology, rebounding exercise (a.k.a trampolining) is 68% more efficient than jogging.
 
The combination of weightlessness and absorbed impact that you get from rebounding is magical for the body. Let’s take a look at how…

1. Strong bones – Increased gravitational force is great for your bones, but not so great for your joints. You can get up to twice the G force on impact with the trampoline but the bouncy nature of the mat takes up to 80% off the stress on your weight-bearing joints. Over time, trampolining can help prevent osteoporosis by strengthening the musculoskeletal system and improving bone mineral content.
2. Strong heart – A regular 30 minutes on the trampoline can significantly improve your cardiovascular health and lower the chance of heart disease. This is because trampolining increases the blood flow and strengthens the heart.  
3. Strong muscles – It makes sense that your legs, thighs and buttocks will get a workout with continuous jumping. But did you know that trampolining also works your abdominals and arms? With every jump, your core muscles are engaged to help keep balance. This flex-release motion in your core helps shape your abdominal muscles. And the same things happens when you swing your arms with each jump. It’s a full body workout.
4. Strong immune system – The lymphatic system is responsible for getting rid of the body’s toxins to allow nutrients in. It relies on our activity levels to get going. Rebounding on a trampoline can stimulate internal organs and increase lymph flow as much as 15 times.
5. Improved vision – Really? Yes, really! It is said that trampoline exercise can improve the eye’s ability to locate and fixate on objects. While trampolining, your eyes continually adjust to different fields of vision which stimulates the vision receptors and strengthens the eye muscles responsible for tracking objects.
6. Sharp mind – Jumping on a trampoline increases oxygen flow to your brain, helping you feel more alert and improving your reaction times. 
7. Increased metabolism & weight loss – Trampoline exercise increases your metabolic rate, helping your body process nutrients more efficiently and keep your weight down.   
8. Feeling happy – If the fact that you’re jumping on a trampoline doesn’t automatically make you feel happy, the endorphin and serotonin rush could do the trick. These mood-enhancing hormones are released by the body during exercise and will help you feel great.

​Trampolining really is the most efficient and effective form of exercise for total body health. It can also help your performance in other sports like gymnastics, skating and cheerleading. But best of all – it’s fun!
 
Come bounce with us at Core Training Gymanstics. We have classes for any age – toddlers, kids, teens and adults.
 
 Sources: DomiJump | NASA Journal of Applied Physiology | Health Fitness Revolution |
Your Doc medical |Heart and Stroke | Brisbane Kids | Rebound life | Ezine article |
LoveLiveHealth | Trampoline Tips | LiveStrong | Joyful Days