How to Stay Healthy and Active at Home

Since the COVID-19 update, it’s been encouraged that we stay home and practice “self-distancing,” which means adjusting to daily life inside at home. Let’s avoid getting stir crazy, stuck on the couch in pajamas, and eating junk food. You can still manifest a healthy and active lifestyle in the comfort of your own home. Not only is it good for our physical health, but also for our mental health. This is a stressful time for a lot of people and it can easily get to us, so here are 6 scientifically proven tips to stay healthy and active at home.

Create a Plan to Start Your Day

While we’re indoors, “normal” life like school drop-offs, grocery shopping, going to gymnastics & dance classes are not an option. However, you can create a plan for you and your family to stick to during the week! Set a bedtime, wake up and get ready, and even create a family workout schedule! There are loads of studies backing up the benefits of routines for positive mental health. In the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, they found that family routines help to moderate impulsiveness and oppositional symptoms and traits in children, meaning routines protect and help children feel safer.

Stretch in Your Living Space

Avoid stiff joints and get your blood circulation moving! Whether it’s in the living room, back porch, or bedroom floor. Encourage your family to stretch before breakfast or before lunch. We’re even providing Virtual Gymnastics & Dance Classes that the whole family can do together! According to the American Osteopathic Association, moderate stretching and yoga style movements have physical benefits such as soothing lower back pain and improves energy, and mental benefits by managing stress.

Ditch the Chips

Make healthy snacks for the whole family to enjoy! Choosing a healthy snack over junk food fuels your body and mind. It also fills in the nutrition gaps, like calcium and fiber. Avoid snacks that are loaded with sugar and have no nutritional value. They cause fatigue, tooth decay, and are unfulfilling.

Back in December, Nutritionist Kristin Gustashaw visited Viking to share nutrition tips which are good to know when deciding what you’re snacking on. Swap out ice cream for a yogurt parfait with fruit and granola toppings, chips for veggies and hummus, and cookies for no-bake chocolate chip energy balls (we love this recipe!).

Keep Your Mind Active

Being stuck inside can be mentally strenuous, especially when we’re constantly following the news. Change the channel to a quiz based program like Jeopardy and challenge your family members to see if they can answer the questions, or play an educational app. If you need a break from screen time, a recent Harvard study on cognitive fitness found that solving problems like sudoku, math equations and word puzzles all helped to maintain mental positivity and sharpness.

Try a Home Workout

You can find a home workout almost anywhere in this day and age! It’s a great way for your kids to stay active when they’re not at gymnastics or dance, plus the whole family can be a part of it! Try our “What’s Your Name” Work Out! Spell out your full name and complete the activity listed for each letter. For a greater challenge, include your middle name or try favorite characters’ names!

Find an Active Hobby

Try and maintain a hobby that keeps you moving, like crocheting, making music, painting, baking, and writing. There are so many activities you can explore, and not only does it keep you busy, but it can lift up your spirits as well. A study conducted by several psychologists of about 1,400 people found that those who said they engaged in enjoyable leisure activities positively impacted their mental and physical health.

Remain in Touch

Viking Girl Power 2020

On February 22nd, we held our second annual Viking Girl Power fundraiser for the Athlete Assistance Fund and it was I·N·S·P·I·R·I·N·G! Many local businesses and entrepreneurs volunteered to share their knowledge with all of our Girl Power participants.

Gymnastics Speaking Event

This year’s guest speaker Bridget Venturi Veenema – Coach, World Cup Champion, the first woman elected to the USA Baseball board of directors, and first American Gladiators Grand Champion, opened the event by speaking about the importance of not giving up. You can experience failure and use it to help motivate yourself to improve. As long as you keep trying you can get to where you want to be.

Celeb Gymnastics Coaching for Kids rity Trainer, Beth Horn, sat down to talk about setting their dream goals. How it is important to take those large goals and break them down into smaller, achievable goals that serve as building blocks for those that are larger. She discussed steps to keep you focused to meet your ultimate goals.

Viking Gymnastics and Dance Classroom

Our participants learned about the importance of computer science with Digital Adventures. Using the Scratch programming language, participants were able to create their own animated short stories.

Ta gymnastics instruction king care of ourselves is so important! Some of our participants experienced how to tune in and tune out through guided meditation while Sun and Moon Yoga taught us a gentle yoga flow for peace and clarity. Jim and Marcy Wade, owners of ATA Martial Arts, taught us about self-defense and bullying.

Girl Power in the Gym

kids learning in the gym Coaching Teen Girls in the Gym Girls playing in gym

W Gymnasics Instruction Class e explored how to protect our bodies and the importance of standing up for yourself with a Prevention Education Coordinator from the Northwest Center Against Sexual Assault.

two young girls playing in the gym Gymnastics Rewards

Groups learned about teamwork. How working together within both smaller and larger groups in your community helps you to become stronger and in some cases, reveal treasures that you didn’t know existed! Through dance we explored concepts of counterbalancing, weight sharing, and partner lifts and discovered what we are capable of achieving with teamwork and care. When we support one another, we uncover the inner strength often hidden within ourselves.

Gymnastics Girl Power We explored the Power of Positivity through dance improvisation and movement exercises to empower and express our participants creative voices in ways that words cannot. Physical life was brought to the positive thoughts we created and we learned how to do this anywhere.

little girls learning gymnastics TYGR Occupational and Physical Therapists showed the importance of inclusion in play. That although someone may have different abilities, we can all play together and be comfortable with one another.

gymnastics group picture

We had an amazing time at Viking Girl Power 2020! It was truly inspiring to see everyone learn, try something new, and work together. Thank you to all of our volunteers, local businesses, and participants – we can’t wait for next year!

Nutrition Tips for Gymnasts and Dancers: Fueling Your Potential!

Nutritionist Kristin Gustashaw recently visited Viking to share nutrition tips for gymnasts and dancers to help us be the best we can be!

Kristin shared nutrition tips for gymnasts and dancers, explaining that what we put in our bodies now fuels our body for today, tomorrow, and also the next 40, 50, 60 years. As athletes, we want to make sure the foods and drinks we consume are helping us achieve our goals and help us through the process.

Proper nutrition means that we are getting the right amount of fuel for what we are doing. Athletes not only need nutrients to boost our daily performance, but also to help us decrease the risk of injury, recover fully after workouts, and to stay healthy. To ensure we do this we should find nutrient-dense foods that taste good, that we enjoy, and that can be prepared easily.

Nutrition Tip 1: Nutrients For the Win

Nutrient-dense foods are ones that get us as much as we can get out of what we are eating. For example, spinach versus head lettuce. Spinach packs in high amounts of carotenoids, vitamin C, vitamin K, folic acid, iron, and calcium. Iceberg lettuce has nutrients in it, but you will get a much smaller amount with each bite. When picking your food, see if there is an easy alternative that will give you more nutrients. Instead of regular, white flour pasta, try whole grain pasta or quinoa.

We should limit foods high in sodium, added sugars, and refined grains. Most of our foods should not have a label, because they should be a whole food. If there is a label, look to see that it has a good protein source (around 10 grams), complex carbohydrates ‘whole grains’, and a rich source of fiber.

Nutrition Tip 2: The Big 3

nutrition tips for gymnasts and dancers presentation There are 3 Main Nutrients your body needs; Carbohydrates, Protein, and Fats. Carbohydrates are the primary fuel for our brains. These are what our muscles use for energy. More than half of what we eat should come from good carbohydrates like whole-grain breads and pasta.

We need protein to build new muscle and tissues, to repair and strengthen muscles after strenuous practice, and for hormone and enzyme production. Lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans, lentils, or tofu should be included in every meal to meet protein requirements. Fatty fish is a protein but is also loaded with Omega-3 fats. If you are a fish eater, try to have fish twice a week, because Omega-3 fats to help reduce inflammation, swelling, and speed recovery. Vegetarians may need to work harder to find good sources of protein, but it is definitely possible to be a strong athlete and meet protein needs.

Fats are essential for building body cells and nerves, insulating and protecting organs, and aiding the absorption of vitamins. Choose healthy fats like fatty fish, milk, olive oil, nuts, and seeds. Limit fats in desserts, fried and processed foods. Remember no foods are forbidden, but we want to choose foods that are going to help us as athletes and in life.

Nutrition Tip 3: H2O is the Way to Go

Water is Kristin’s favorite nutrient! Our bodies cannot utilize any of the nutrition they take in without water. Staying hydrated also keeps joints limber, increases stamina, and improves coordination, reaction time, and concentration. Drinking pure water is best. When we become dehydrated our muscle strength, speed, energy, and cognitive processing decreases and the risk of injury increases. 95% of muscle cramps are due to dehydration. Eating fruits and veggies is also a great way to stay hydrated because they contain a lot of water.

vitamin D graphic

Nutrition Tip 4: Make Your Bones Strong as Stones

Though good bone health is important for everyone, the physical, impact, and endurance activities gymnasts and dancers do, rely on strong bone to perform. Training itself helps build strong bones but the other half is what we put in our body — our fuel. Calcium and vitamin D are key to forming strong bones and teeth, enhancing performance, resisting fractures, and preventing weak bones as we get older. Calcium is found in milk, leafy greens, and cheese and yogurt. Vitamin D is found in fatty fish, egg yolks, and fortified foods like soy milk.

nutrition tips for gymnasts and dancers class photo Our bone strength is being affected by the nutrition we are taking in now and can be strengthened into our 30s. We are truly building the foundation of our bones for the rest of our lives right now. Think about the fable, The Three Little Pigs. Which house took the longest to build? The brick one.

But which house withstood time and the elements? Yup, you know it!

Take the time to get the best nutrients now. It only takes three weeks to break down bone, but it takes three months to build it back up. Proper nutrition will not only build bone density, but will keep your muscles strong, too. And stress fractures are caused by muscles that are too tired to absorb added shock, sending that shock to the bone.

Lastly, it is especially important for athletes to keep up their iron intake. Iron is a mineral essential for transporting oxygen through our bodies. Lean meats, eggs, leafy vegetables, and fortified whole grains are good sources of iron.

Did you know that it takes 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain you are full? So eat until you are satisfied, not full. And make sure to drink water with your meal.

So how can you take all this important information and make it most useful for your gymnastics or dance career?

nutrition tips infographic

Remember to follow these nutrition tips for gymnasts and dancers — we need food for energy and we need fuel all day long to be at our physical and mental best!

We will leave you with this catchy nutrition song about food groups – enjoy!

Staff Pumpkin Painting Contest

When there’s a chill in the air and the ghosts and ghouls come out to play, you know it’s time for our Annual Pumpkin Painting Contest! Viking Staff had a ghoulishly, delightful time bringing their creative pumpkins to life!

Pumpkin Painting Party

These BOO-tiful pumpkins were on display and our Viking families had a frightfully fun time voting!

Here are the top 5 pumpkins for this year! Coming in at 1st place, Ms. Lynn and her haunted scenery, 2nd is Charlie and her majestic unicorn, 3rd is Karyn and her loyal Minion, 4th is Lynda and her pumpkin king, and finally 5th is Coach Ellie and her Day of the Dead sugar skull inspired pumpkin!

Gymnastics Painting Party

Thank you to everyone who voted this year!

Top 10 Gymnast Bag Necessities

Does this scenario sound familiar? You are running a little late to gymnastics. Your gymnast is scrambling for a water bottle, a snack, and of course… hair ties! Trying to get everyone out the door, into the car, and rushing to class on time. Finally, you arrive and a sense of dread overwhelms you because you are sure there are items missing from your child’s gym bag!

If you have a gymnast in your life, this is likely a frequent occurrence. Don’t you worry; we’ve got you covered! Our Viking coaches have shared the top 10 necessities for every gymnast’s bag:

A Water Bottle
Your gymnast is hard at work in class and it’s important for them to stay hydrated, but you do not want them to miss out on learning every time they run to the water fountain. Instead, get them their own water bottle that they can notice easily. Make sure the top is tightly secured and the bottle has their name on it.
Snacks
Having a snack in their gym bag is crucial for restoring energy. The key to a healthy after workout snack is something that is easily digestible and packed with protein! Protein is an essential building block of the body. When your body is hard at work, replenishing with protein will repair cells and help build new ones. Some ideas for protein packed snacks are turkey slices, cheese sticks, veggie slices with hummus, and Greek yogurt. Learn more on our previous blog post about Nutrition in Gymnastics.
Hand Wipes
Let’s be honest. Your gymnast will be touching so many surfaces: beams, floors, bars, etc… To keep the germs at bay, toss a package of hand wipes in their gym bag!
Lip Balm/Lotion
No matter what season it is, gyms are dry; lip balm and lotion can help! Just be sure that your gymnast applies lotion after practice. No one wants to be slip sliding away while doing gymnastics!
Hair Elastics/Hair Brush
If your gymnast has long hair, it’s crucial to make sure their hair is tied back and away from their face. This prevents accidents and helps your child to see better when trying to perfect their skills! They may not always use the brush but it’s there for when they need it!
Grips
This isn’t applicable for all gymnasts but if their coach says it’s required, don’t forget their grips! It’s also good to have a backup pair that they’re working to break in by taking a few turns with every now and again. That way, when the current pair gets too old your gymnast has another one ready to go. *Don’t forget, Viking coaches can measure and order grips*
Wristbands
If you’re going to pack grips, DO NOT forget wristbands! Wearing grips without wrist bands may lead to chafed wrists during practice.
Pre-Wrap/Athletic Tape
It doesn’t hurt to carry an extra roll especially if they regularly tape their ankles, wrist, or anything else! Remember to apply the pre-wrap first before the athletic tape. If any injury is persistent, make sure to see a medical professional.
A Pouch for Valuable Items
Sometimes your gymnast will forget to take off dangling earrings or necklaces before practice. Pack a small pouch to keep valuables from getting lost. If they have a cell phone, make sure they have a safe/secret spot in their bag that they can easily access after practice. As an extra step of precaution, students can leave their cell phone at the front desk and it can be picked up after class.
Deodorant
No explanation needed, but their teammates and coaches may appreciate this especially during a hot and sweaty practice!

You’ve got the gymnastics bag ready, but you’re looking for classes? We offer gymnastics classes starting at the age of 6 months old! We maintain a small student-teacher ratio to give the highest quality individualized instruction to every student.

Viking Girl Power 2019 Event on Saturday, April 27

Viking Girl Power 2019 Event Viking Girl Power 2019 takes place the afternoon of Saturday, April 27. We are excited to offer this wonderful event for you and your family!

Join us for an afternoon of building confidence, strength, pride, identity, and self-esteem. We will have two inspirational speakers:

Heidy LaFleur, author, former principal, and founder of Common Sense Leadership
Beth Horn, national fitness champion, author, coach, and “Venom” on NBC’s American Gladiators.

Guests will be divided by age. Each small group will participate in four interactive sessions including self-defense, inclusion, goal setting, team building challenges, anti-bullying, meditation, identity, and more. Trained experts will also talk to participants in about appropriate and inappropriate touching, commonly referred to as “good-touch-bad-touch,” along with how to talk about concerns.

Who: Adults and children ages 4+

What: This is a fundraiser for the Athlete Assistance Fund, which provides financial means and guidance for gymnasts that have suffered sexual abuse in the sport of gymnastics to obtain counseling services.

When: Saturday, April 27th from 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm

Where: Viking Gymnastics & Dance

Cost: $40 for first participant, $30 per additional participating family member. All proceeds will be donated to the Athlete Assistance Fund.

To learn more and register: Viking Girl Power 2019 event click here!

We look forward to spending an amazing afternoon with you and your children!

St. Patrick’s Day Kids Night Out at Viking Gymnastics & Dance

St. Patrick’s Day Kids Night Out at Viking Gymnastics and Dance — Saturday, March 16, featuring a Leprechaun’s Gold Hunt!

2019 St. Patrick's Day Kids Night Out at Viking

There were lots of shenanigans at the 2018 St. Patrick’s Day Kids Night Out– and this year will be extra-fun!

While parents and caregivers celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, kids can come to the St. Patrick’s Day Kids Night Out at Viking Gymnastics and Dance on Saturday, March 16th — and join in a Leprechan’s Gold Hunt!

As with all Kids’ Night Out events, the evening includes pizza and gym time. For this special event, we will also have:

An “Amazing Race” around the gym, with challenges including “swimming” across the pit to put a pit block in a bucket until it is full, walking across beams to transfer beanie babies from one mat to another, using toes to pull loosely tied scarves off the bars, and completing a series of jumps on the “tumble trak.”
An opportunity to learn Irish dancing,
Shamrock relay races,
Crafts, including making four-leaf clovers,
and more!

Details

Drop off is at 5:30 pm
Guests must be picked up by 9:00 pm
For children ages 4 to 14 years old
Dress code is a shirt/leotard and shorts, hair pulled out of the face, no jewelry
$45 for the first child, $25 per sibling
Register online or by contacting the desk
All participants must have a current waiver on file
Children do not have to be current students to participate, and friends are always welcome!

What is Kids’ Night Out?

Kids’ Night Out is a great date-night option for your kids! Just drop your kid off, and relax knowing the Viking Staff will make sure they have fun.

Guests enjoy pizza for dinner. Each evening includes a lot of physical activity so they come home and hopefully go right to sleep! And, it’s cheaper than hiring a babysitter. Our experienced staff are in charge of planning and supervising the evening.

2019 Epilepsy Awareness Day Fundraiser at Viking Gymnastics

Service dog Do-Si has made all the difference for Hank!

In honor of 2019 Epilepsy Awareness Day, Viking Gymnastics & Dance will host a raffle fundraiser.

The funds will support Hank, an 11-year-old boy who lives with Doose Syndrome, which is an early childhood epilepsy syndrome.

For many years, Viking has been proud to support Hank and his family. The Viking community once raised over $13,000 to help Hank and his family receive a seizure alert dog named Do-Si. To learn more about Hank, follow Hank’s R Hero on Facebook.

Having Do-Si has made a world of difference for Hank and his family. Since receiving Do-Si, each year we now use profits from our annual home competition to offset the two-week training that the family must attend annually in Colorado.

This year, we will support Hank and also bring attention to Epilepsy Awareness Day by having a raffle at Viking.

Beginning on Tuesday, March 12th, we will display raffle baskets for our families to view. Raffle tickets will be sold at the front desk for two weeks. We will choose the winners on Tuesday, March 26th – the 2019 Epilepsy Awareness Day!

Let’s make a difference together!

Special Olympics Gymnastics Team at Viking

Thanks to the hard work of several Viking staff and the talent of some special athletes, Viking Gymnastics has a Special Olympics Gymnastics program called Rising Stars. We are so proud of this team as they begin their first year of competitions!

How did Rising Stars begin?

Special Olympics Gymnastics Rising Stars compete A few years ago, Viking gymnastics coach April Sawyer was living in Houston, Texas. During her career she had started a couple of Special Olympic Teams and programs for children with special needs, and she ran those for about ten years.

Coach April moved to Illinois and began working at Viking. She coaches tot gymnastics, and began the Rising Stars Program. “I wanted to give this opportunity to ones with special needs so they can find the benefits and enjoyment through the sport of gymnastics.”

The Rising Stars team at Viking Gymnastics and Dance officially started in January 2018.

Viking coaches, athletes, and families Cheer on Rising Stars

Special Olympics Rising Stars Support for the Rising Stars program goes beyond usual team spirit. The whole gym has participated in fundraisers to launch the program — including raising money through a special event with US Olympic Team Member Laurie Hernandez.

During a recent “practice meet” in preparation for the Rising Stars’ first meet, members of the Viking GIJO and USAG teams volunteered to help. Families and friends turned out to watch the practice event and awards were given, making it a real meet experience for the team members and their families.

“We are fortunate to have several coaches and workers that are passionate about our program and our athletes,” says Coach April. “We just had our first competition with many other athletes. The girls worked hard and were very patient during the long competition. They all received medals — and some placed first on their events.”

2019 Plans for Rising Stars

Special Olympics Gymnastics Rising Stars The team plans to compete in a regional gymnastics meet in Palatine this weekend. Plans also include a trip to Atlanta for the 2019 USA Gymnastics Special Olympics Championships.

“We hope to grow, and perhaps be able to start a boys program as well,” says Coach April.

Congratulations, Rising Stars!

Viking Gymnastics Summer Camp 2019

NOW OPEN! Viking Gymnastics registration for Summer Camp 2019!

Viking Gymnastics Summer Camp is a fun, flexible way to try out gymnastics and increase skills! Camp is open to all recreational levels for boys and girls ages 4-14. Both half-day morning and afternoon options are available. Camp sessions begin June 10th and end August 16th, with no camp the week of July 1st.

Please visit the Viking Gymnastics Summer Camp 2019 page for complete details and instructions on how to register.

See you at camp!