The Healthy Gator - Aue Elementary

Aue Mud Run tomorrow morning! 8:30-noon!
We are needing volunteers for the obstacle course. If you plan on coming and can help out please post! We have slots open from handing out water at the finish line to obstacle assistants and ribbon distribution!

May's Healthy Gator

April's Healthy Gator!!!

Happy Valentines Day!

Check out the January Healthy Gator!

Check out this month's The Healthy Gator!

Sorry it has been a little while since we've posted to the Healthy Gator fb page! We had a virus blow through our house this week and that can really mess up a weekly schedule! With that said, it was a perfect reminder that this time of year "bugs" start working their way around schools and, even though, it is impossible to fully escape them, there are things we can do to try and avoid them.
1. Please remind your kids to wash their hands! Before lunch, after PE and recess they should get in a habit of washing their hands thoroughly and regularly to help stay germ free.
2. Watch those bedtimes. I know with school, homework and extracurricular activities it is often difficult to get to bed at decent times. Planning ahead; using breaks to complete homework and making dinner ahead of time (I have been known to pack a cooler so the kids can eat right after practice on their way home) can help get kids to bed and the 8-10 hours of sleep they really need. **Lack of sleep can stress the immune system and make us all more susceptible to sickness**
3. Get your flu vaccine! Yes, it's that time of year! Even though it's not a 100% guarantee you won't get the flu, it's definitely going to help. And even if you do get the flu, it's usually not as severe if you have had your flu shot!

We hope everyone has a wonderful, safe and Happy Halloween!!
A huge shout out to Melissa Barber and all of the parents, teachers and volunteers that made Gatorfest such a wonderful success!!! What a fantastic event!! We are so lucky and proud to be Aue Gators!!

Hope everyone had a wonderful, long weekend!! We had such a fantastic Friday at the bike rodeo!! We want to thank all of the volunteers who came out to help and a huge shout out to Jason Russell for making the Aue bike rodeo such a success!
Let's make it a great week Aue Gators!!

Yay! What a difference a week makes! Hope everyone is enjoying this nice Fall weather after the rain. Wow, make a comment about mother nature "not getting the memo" and look what she sends us?! I might have to do that again next year ;)
I wanted to touch on diet this week and just share some of my thoughts regarding "going on a diet". I know since I was little I've heard that term from my mom, to my grandmother, Aunts, etc.; then as I got older me and my friends: "Homecoming is around the corner. I need to go on a diet"..."Oh, prom is two weeks away, I need to go on a diet".
I have also had people ask me what diet I recommend? or What do I think about the paleo diet? etc.
My answer is always what is a diet you can live with forever? If you can adopt the paleo diet as a way for you to consistently eat healthier then yes, that should be your "diet plan".
The definition of diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. When we "go on a diet" for a short term of time; drop calories too much; exclude whole food groups for an allotted period of time then we can actually do our bodies more harm than good. We can mess with our metabolism, our hormone levels, our nutrient intake and actually cause our bodies to wear down our muscles for energy and increase cortisol, which helps your body hold onto unwanted fat.
I know there are many experts out there that say their diet is best. The diet that is best is the one that works for you: has you eating well balanced, whole foods (a variety!!); lean meats; good fats (yes, I said fat) and on a consistent basis. I know I grew up in the "fat free" generation. When the food industry removes fat they have to replace it with something (i.e. sugar and/or chemicals) in order to keep the flavor but we have learned over time that this hasn't stopped or even slowed down the obesity epidemic in our Country. We need to go back to the basics. Find a "diet" that works for you. If you love bread; can't live without it - I wouldn't recommend the Atkins diet. I would recommend you stick to whole grain breads(and pastas) when you do eat them; try and limit the amount of bread you do consume. Not that bread is the enemy but too much can be problematic for your waistline. (as with most foods) The main point here is portion control. Many of us eat the right foods, we just need to watch the quantities we consume.
I know this is long so I will get to my last tip of the week. It has to do with quantity. When we cook, I highly recommend switching (if you haven't already) to either EEOV (extra virgin olive oil) or even coconut oil. Both offer great health benefits and good healthy fats but this is also where I want to point out quantity is very important. We've seen chefs just take the bottle and pour into their saucepans or into their dressings. I highly recommend pulling out a tablespoon and using that as your guide. When we pour directly from the bottle we don't know exactly how much is going into the dish and it can add a couple of hundred extra calories to a dish with a very short pour!! A tablespoon will act as your guide. It's usually enough to give you the benefit of the oil you are using without breaking the calorie bank.
I know this just touches on diet and yes there are many, many more topics that can come from this. I have a had a few conversations with friends and family lately regarding some of the things mentioned above; I would love to keep the conversation going!
If you have a tip, trick, question....please post! The more we know, the healthier we can be!
Have a great week Aue Gators! Enjoy this awesome weather!

Wow! So Thursday is the first official day of Fall but we are experiencing record breaking heat - welcome to South Texas! If you are from this area, you very aware that the weather down here doesn't get the "memo" it's Autumn (at least for another month or two). If you are new to the area, welcome! And yes, we have longer Summers but Winters are much milder than up North so there are always trade-offs.
I know many of our kids had games this weekend (I know Sunday was so very hot out on those soccer and football fields) so our healthy tip of the week is:
HYDRATE. HYDRATE. HYDRATE!
Please remember to bring plenty of water with you to games and practices! Encourage your kids to drink water throughout the day as well! Coming to practices/events well hydrated is a huge first step in preventing heat exhaustion. It's hot and our humidity levels can be high, which can hamper sweat evaporation, & hinders your body's ability to cool itself.
Other items to consider:
*Umbrellas for shade & to escape the sun during breaks
*Lightweight, light colored, loose-fitting clothing and a hat
*Sunscreen (spf 30 or more)
*A cooling towel
A few signs that your child might be experiencing heat exhaustion:
confusion, dizziness, fainting, fatigue, headache, muscle/abdominal cramps, pale skin, nausea, profuse sweating, rapid heartbeat
If your child is experiencing symptoms of heat exhaustion, it's essential to get them out of the heat! Get them fluids immediately (nothing with caffeine), remove any tight and/or unnecessary clothing, cool shower/bath, apply other cooling methods: fans or ice towels.
If these measures don't provide relief within 15 minutes please seek medical attention! Untreated heat exhaustion can progress to heat stroke.
Stay safe, keep cool (as possible) and, of course, well hydrated Aue Gators and friends!