That's Fit

With the start of school just around the corner, it might be time for that annual trip to buy a new backpack for your child. Parent Center has put together a list of tips to help you choose the right backpack, and also to teach your child how to properly use his backpack, to avoid injury.

Some of the tips I found the most helpful and enlightening:

• Backpack loads should be no more than 15-20% off a child's body weight. The means if your kiddo weighs 45 pounds, her lunch, books, and goodies should never add up to more than 9 pounds. That doesn't seem like much, especially on library day!
• Teach your child to bend for his backpack with his knees, to protect from back injury.
• Pack the heavy items toward the middle of the pack, and teach kids to use both shoulder straps.

You can read the full list of backpack safety items on Parent Center, before you head out on your shopping trip.

Even in the most urban environments, there is usually at least a park or two where you can bang out a great outdoor workout. This time around, however, I'm not talking about taking the proverbial walk in the park. No, I'm getting downright torturous with the outdoor workout I'm about to send you on.

You may want to send me hate mail after doing this workout, but start now and you'll be thanking me when Memorial Day rolls around and you're looking lean and fit for summer.

Warm-Up. Fill a backpack full of heavy items and wrap them in clothes or a few towels. You'll probably want to include a water bottle in that pack somewhere, too. Next, strap that backpack on and start jogging! Complete at least one full circle around the predetermined path.

Pull-Ups. Find a nice, solid tree that has a fairly even branch from which you can safely hang. Keep your hands just slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and perform as many pull-ups as you can. If you're really feeling strong, keep that backpack on and do them.

Hill Runs. Drop that backpack in a safe place (not that anyone is going to steal a backpack full of weights, but just in case) and sprint up a hillside. Once you get to the top, take a five second break and then amble back down. Give yourself a 30-second breather and then sprint back up. Do this a total of five times.

I think I've already found my Christmas gift wish for this year. True, it's a bit early to be thinking about snowy December, but it's actually the seasonal sunshine that gave me the idea.

Voltaic is a company that designs backpacks and bags that capture the sun's energy and use it as a power source for electrical items such as iPods, cell phones, and GPSs. With small solar panels on the bag itself, as little as an hour of sunlight can keep your iPod pumping for three hours. This is the perfect item for the hikers out there who like to have a little creature comfort available during workouts.

The bag itself appears to be quite durable and big enough to store your water bottles, extra clothing, and even your laptop (you can write an email to your boss once you reach the summit of the mountain, telling him or her that you will be working from home for the rest of the day). And, with the new Generator computer bag, you'll have all the power you need to keep your laptop running.

When you head out on a hike, it's important to bring the essentials: Water, healthy snacks, sunscreen, warm layers and those 'just in case' safety items. But all that extra stuff can weigh you down after too long. Here's a handy item I read about on Fitsugar: Kelty Chuck Wagon Dog Pack. It is what it sounds like: A backpack for dogs. So instead of carrying everything yourself, let your lovable mutt do some of the lifting.

The dog packs are available in small ($45), medium ($50) and large ($55) and they're bright red so you won't lose site of your pooch in the outdoors. The packs are lightweight and durable, and while your dog won't be able to carry everything you need to bring along on you hike, she'll be able to take at least a bit of the load off of you.

(Via Fitsugar)

Have you ever been playing a basketball game and it was so intense and fast-paced that you couldn't take the time to look up at the scoreboard?

Well, I haven't (at least not in a long time), but for those of you who have experienced this, you're in luck, or, at least, you will be. An Australian company is working on jerseys that have "electro-luminescent displays" which will show information for the players, like the score and time left.

For most school is back in full swing, and as the first few days and weeks are past homework is starting to pile on in that nasty way it always does. I remember when I was a kid in school I used to wish my backpack had wheels on it like airline luggage, and although today some of them actually do many kids still use the traditional on-the-back backpack. And last year there were 7,300 injuries reported in U.S. emergency rooms due to backpacks that were overstuffed.

It's recommended that kids carry no more than 15% of their body weight, which isn't that much when you start piling on history and algebra books. Sometimes they even end up so packed with stuff they won't even zip shut! If your child has red marks from the backpack's straps, struggles to put the bag on or take it off, or of course is actually complaining of pain then the bag is too heavy. Consider getting them a bag that is proportionately sized to your child, has well-padded shoulder straps, and possibly even wheels if that makes sense. Some parents have even requested a second set of textbooks so it isn't necessary to tote them to and from school -- smart idea!


Via FitSugar

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best ones, although I'm not sure about this one. Pretty much everybody these days needs to drink more water, and this is one way you could encourage yourself to do that: hook the water right on your belt. This bottle holder would probably be great for anybody who does a lot of walking and moving around during the day (think college kids, and adults who don't use an office or have a desk at their job), and of course it could work great for walking or jogging also, and even for travel and vacations. Except one concern: even while walking won't it bounce and bang around and get annoying?

Via Book of Joe

Back-to-school season often means back-to-school shopping, and one of the purchases you need to make may be a backpack. Before you buy, take a minute to read this article about children's backpacks so that you can make the best decision based on your child's situation. For instance, did you know that despite the fact that sling backpacks are popular, they can cause shoulder pain? Other tips include:

• Look for padded shoulder straps -- the thicker, the better.
• Wheeled backpacks are not always better. Consider whether your child will have to haul the backpack up stairs or through snow before buying.
• Conservative estimates say a backpack shouldn't be packed with more than 10% of a child's body weight.
  
• Teach your child to wear their backpack correctly. For tips on how to do that, click here.

Finally, Rigel recently wrote about these ergonomically designed backpacks that are built to spread weight a little more evenly across the shoulders.

It seems like summer just got started, yet already we're starting to hear echoes and whispers of "back to school." Of course back to school is the biggest season for the backpack industry, but year round people who have active outdoor lifestyles find themselves in need of a sturdy and comfortable way to carry stuff around. But unfortunately all too often backpacks are responsible for back, shoulder, and neck pain when they get overstuffed and all their design flaws become painfully obvious.

So this year before you go shopping check out these 4 ergonomically designed backpacks suggested by Natural Health -- ranging in price from $10 to $90 there's something for every taste and budget.