1 00:00:01,120 --> 00:00:05,840 Speaker 1: Seven oh two weekend Breakfast and Parenting with Niki Bush. 2 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:09,320 Speaker 2: It's thirteen minutes after eight o'clock. Time for us to 3 00:00:09,360 --> 00:00:13,560 Speaker 2: talk our parenting conversation or have our parenting conversation for 4 00:00:13,640 --> 00:00:17,720 Speaker 2: this week and this morning, we are talking about why 5 00:00:17,840 --> 00:00:22,440 Speaker 2: muscle tone matters more than you think for children. And 6 00:00:22,960 --> 00:00:26,320 Speaker 2: joining us on the line is our resident human potential 7 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:30,080 Speaker 2: and parenting expert, Nikki Bush. Nikki A very good morning, too. 8 00:00:31,640 --> 00:00:32,519 Speaker 1: Good morning, girks. 9 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:35,360 Speaker 2: So when we think about muscle tone, we often think 10 00:00:35,400 --> 00:00:38,360 Speaker 2: about it as a thing that I guess grown ups need, 11 00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:40,839 Speaker 2: and even as adults, some of us don't think we 12 00:00:40,880 --> 00:00:43,479 Speaker 2: need muscle tone. We think other people, perhaps we are 13 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:48,120 Speaker 2: professional athletes who are bodybuilders. We think it's for other people, 14 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:51,360 Speaker 2: and so very seldom do we talk about muscletone in 15 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:55,080 Speaker 2: the context of children. So why today is this an 16 00:00:55,160 --> 00:00:56,320 Speaker 2: important topic to have? 17 00:00:57,960 --> 00:00:58,200 Speaker 1: Well. 18 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:00,880 Speaker 3: Muscle tone is the ability of the body to hold 19 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:06,040 Speaker 3: itself up against gravity. It's the ability of the body 20 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:09,000 Speaker 3: to move because there needs to be resistance of a 21 00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:13,680 Speaker 3: muscle for active or passive stretching. So it's kind of 22 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:18,279 Speaker 3: the overall stiffness of a muscle, and muscle tone serves 23 00:01:18,319 --> 00:01:21,240 Speaker 3: a number of purposes, and it's so important today because 24 00:01:21,760 --> 00:01:25,680 Speaker 3: many children are so sedentary, they spend so much time 25 00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:28,399 Speaker 3: sitting in front of a screen instead of on jungle 26 00:01:28,440 --> 00:01:31,600 Speaker 3: gyms and running around and hitting and kicking balls, that 27 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:36,039 Speaker 3: we are seeing a massive increase in low muscle tone. 28 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:40,119 Speaker 3: And muscle tone is important for maintaining posture, so being 29 00:01:40,160 --> 00:01:43,520 Speaker 3: able to stand and sit upright and to be able 30 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:46,959 Speaker 3: to maintain a posture for a period of time. So 31 00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:51,440 Speaker 3: when we talk about sitting in a lesson at school, 32 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:54,760 Speaker 3: that could be anything from like twenty minutes in a 33 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:59,559 Speaker 3: nursery school to a full hour once children get into 34 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:04,400 Speaker 3: the upper primary school or high school age groups, and 35 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:09,280 Speaker 3: that's when we see children slouching on their desks, using 36 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:12,880 Speaker 3: their elbows to hold their bodies up, to hold their 37 00:02:12,960 --> 00:02:17,160 Speaker 3: heads up. And it's quite interesting to watch how quickly 38 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:21,800 Speaker 3: children with low muscle tone get tired. So the muscle 39 00:02:21,919 --> 00:02:25,800 Speaker 3: is almost like a spring. It stores energy and it 40 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:29,560 Speaker 3: can release energy at a later stage, and that affects 41 00:02:29,560 --> 00:02:32,480 Speaker 3: how you walk or how your leg pushes off the 42 00:02:32,520 --> 00:02:35,359 Speaker 3: ground when you walk or when you run, and so. 43 00:02:35,400 --> 00:02:36,880 Speaker 1: It propels your body forward. 44 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:41,000 Speaker 3: So muscle tone keeps the body movement smooth and fluid 45 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:45,520 Speaker 3: instead of jerky and uncoordinated. When you look at children 46 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:50,000 Speaker 3: in the younger age groups like preschool and early primary school, 47 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:53,960 Speaker 3: you can pick low muscle tone up immediately by what. 48 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:56,200 Speaker 1: It looks like, so muscle tone. 49 00:02:56,240 --> 00:02:59,160 Speaker 3: Low muscle tone will often show itself in the facial 50 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:04,760 Speaker 3: muscles around the mouth. So a child who sits with 51 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:09,400 Speaker 3: their mouth open and their tongue quite sort of loose 52 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:13,360 Speaker 3: and in some of our top athletes had low muscle tone. 53 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:16,720 Speaker 3: Look at Bobby Skinstad, he was one of our Springbok 54 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:20,680 Speaker 3: rugby captains and he had low muscle tone as a child. 55 00:03:21,160 --> 00:03:24,040 Speaker 3: Around his mouth and even to this day, watch his 56 00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:27,880 Speaker 3: mouth because it's a well worn neurological pathway and his 57 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:30,440 Speaker 3: mouth is often open and his tongue is often forward. 58 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:35,920 Speaker 3: You will see children slouching, children who can't kind if 59 00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:40,400 Speaker 3: they're not energetic. Now, the extreme end of low muscle 60 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:43,800 Speaker 3: tone would be a child with autism. Often children with 61 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:48,360 Speaker 3: autism show signs of low muscle tone in multiple parts 62 00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:52,520 Speaker 3: of their bodies. But there's lots that you can do 63 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:56,560 Speaker 3: to help children, whether they have low muscle tone or not, 64 00:03:57,240 --> 00:03:59,760 Speaker 3: to improve their muscle tone. 65 00:04:00,640 --> 00:04:04,040 Speaker 2: It seems that quite a fundamental part or an important 66 00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:08,320 Speaker 2: part of good muscle tone also has to do with 67 00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:11,839 Speaker 2: this development of fine motor skills. So a kid being 68 00:04:11,880 --> 00:04:14,280 Speaker 2: able to do a child being able to not only 69 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:17,920 Speaker 2: keep their body up, but do certain things like hold 70 00:04:17,920 --> 00:04:22,880 Speaker 2: a pencil, you know, tie their shoelaces, play result that 71 00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:25,920 Speaker 2: requires them, you know, to use their fingers in their hands, 72 00:04:25,920 --> 00:04:31,039 Speaker 2: et cetera. So it's also about being able to bat things. 73 00:04:31,080 --> 00:04:34,120 Speaker 3: It starts first with the big muscles of the body, 74 00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:37,920 Speaker 3: so it ultimately impacts the way that they will hold 75 00:04:37,920 --> 00:04:41,359 Speaker 3: a pencil, but it actually starts long before that. So 76 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:45,000 Speaker 3: muscle tone is more about the bigger muscles of the 77 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:47,800 Speaker 3: body than the smaller muscles of the body. So the 78 00:04:47,839 --> 00:04:52,600 Speaker 3: way the antidote to low muscle tone is exposing children 79 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:57,039 Speaker 3: to big body movements like running and jumping and skipping 80 00:04:57,120 --> 00:05:01,720 Speaker 3: and hopping, and a jungle gym is probably the best 81 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:06,000 Speaker 3: exposure your child needs on a regular basis to something 82 00:05:06,400 --> 00:05:10,120 Speaker 3: that is going to exercise their entire body, because if 83 00:05:10,160 --> 00:05:13,280 Speaker 3: you think of a jungle gym, it's just the most 84 00:05:13,320 --> 00:05:18,000 Speaker 3: incredible piece of equipment that offers the child so many 85 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:22,160 Speaker 3: opportunities to move different parts of their bodies. So we're 86 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:32,880 Speaker 3: talking about climbing, hanging, swinging, creeping, balancing, pushing and pulling. 87 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:36,440 Speaker 3: So when a child is say, for example, you know 88 00:05:36,480 --> 00:05:41,480 Speaker 3: in a jungle gym, you've got that horizontal ladder for 89 00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:44,600 Speaker 3: when they're hanging on their arms, and you've got a 90 00:05:44,680 --> 00:05:47,520 Speaker 3: walk across the ladder hanging from your arms. 91 00:05:47,320 --> 00:05:50,400 Speaker 1: So you're holding the entire body weight. It's hard. 92 00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:54,240 Speaker 3: I want all parents who listening today to go and 93 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:59,240 Speaker 3: try to do that now that you're older. It's hard 94 00:06:00,960 --> 00:06:05,120 Speaker 3: swinging from bartibar. There's a lot of momentum that's required 95 00:06:05,240 --> 00:06:08,800 Speaker 3: and a lot of resistance of the muscles so that 96 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:12,520 Speaker 3: you can swing yourself from bartibar. And it is such 97 00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:16,680 Speaker 3: a good indicator activity to show low muscle tone or 98 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:21,080 Speaker 3: normal muscle tone. There are children who just cannot hold 99 00:06:21,120 --> 00:06:25,520 Speaker 3: their body weight on that horizontal ladder and their children 100 00:06:25,560 --> 00:06:28,400 Speaker 3: who do it as if they were little monkeys and 101 00:06:28,480 --> 00:06:32,720 Speaker 3: it is so easy for them. And then of course 102 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:39,320 Speaker 3: they're going to be climbing up the ladders, the vertical ladders, 103 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:42,279 Speaker 3: they're going to be sliding down the slide, and then 104 00:06:42,560 --> 00:06:46,279 Speaker 3: when they get really confident, they climb back up the slide, 105 00:06:46,800 --> 00:06:50,839 Speaker 3: and that also shows their ability to coordinate their body movements, 106 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:54,560 Speaker 3: big body movements, and the upper body strength and the 107 00:06:54,640 --> 00:06:58,680 Speaker 3: muscle tone in climbing up a slippery ladder, and a 108 00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:02,880 Speaker 3: lot of children today just don't have exposure to this 109 00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:07,720 Speaker 3: kind of equipment. And then you've got things like the 110 00:07:07,720 --> 00:07:13,200 Speaker 3: fireman's pole for sliding down a vertical fireman's pole as 111 00:07:13,200 --> 00:07:16,560 Speaker 3: opposed to sliding down a slide on your bum Now 112 00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:19,120 Speaker 3: you've got to coordinate your arms and your legs to 113 00:07:19,200 --> 00:07:23,000 Speaker 3: embrace that pole. So can you see just how versatile 114 00:07:23,560 --> 00:07:26,920 Speaker 3: a good jungle gym can be and why children in 115 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:32,600 Speaker 3: a nursery school environment need to have playtime outside on 116 00:07:32,840 --> 00:07:36,200 Speaker 3: big pieces of equipment so that they can stimulate these 117 00:07:36,400 --> 00:07:40,760 Speaker 3: large muscles of the body and start coordinating the arms 118 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:44,280 Speaker 3: with the legs, with the back, with the buttocks, and 119 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:48,640 Speaker 3: with the neck. So we do need to encourage children 120 00:07:48,680 --> 00:07:52,120 Speaker 3: to crawl for as long as possible because there's a 121 00:07:52,240 --> 00:07:55,760 Speaker 3: lot of stimulation of muscle tone when children are crawling, 122 00:07:56,200 --> 00:07:58,960 Speaker 3: because they're not just crawling with their arms and their legs, 123 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:02,160 Speaker 3: they're using their back, their tummies, their buttocks, and then 124 00:08:02,200 --> 00:08:05,360 Speaker 3: of course being able to raise the head to use 125 00:08:05,400 --> 00:08:08,040 Speaker 3: their eyes to decide where they want to go. 126 00:08:10,360 --> 00:08:12,640 Speaker 2: And so this also sounds as though I think we 127 00:08:12,640 --> 00:08:15,240 Speaker 2: were speaking about this a couple of weeks ago about 128 00:08:15,280 --> 00:08:19,080 Speaker 2: how it's quite important for parents to allow kids to 129 00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:23,440 Speaker 2: do things and do them repeatedly. 130 00:08:22,920 --> 00:08:25,320 Speaker 1: Get it wrong, get it right, just to. 131 00:08:25,360 --> 00:08:28,600 Speaker 2: Build not only their ability to do it like skill, 132 00:08:28,960 --> 00:08:32,120 Speaker 2: but to build the confidence, to build the neurological pathway 133 00:08:32,400 --> 00:08:35,760 Speaker 2: that says I can do this particular thing, even if 134 00:08:35,800 --> 00:08:39,079 Speaker 2: it's difficult, and it feels like developing a muscle tone. 135 00:08:39,480 --> 00:08:42,360 Speaker 2: Through those kind of activities, the pushing, the playing, the climbing, 136 00:08:42,440 --> 00:08:46,320 Speaker 2: the hanging, the rowing, those are also ways in which 137 00:08:46,480 --> 00:08:49,200 Speaker 2: kids can also benefit. The other benefit can be this 138 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:53,320 Speaker 2: development of confidence that knowing that I can actually swing 139 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:56,120 Speaker 2: on the monkey bars, I can push, I can pull, 140 00:08:56,400 --> 00:08:58,480 Speaker 2: I get my body is amazing and it can do 141 00:08:58,960 --> 00:09:01,080 Speaker 2: in the beginning, really difficult things. 142 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:06,080 Speaker 3: Yes, it's such an important thing that you've raised, is 143 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:08,719 Speaker 3: that our children need to be challenging themselves with new 144 00:09:08,760 --> 00:09:13,680 Speaker 3: activities all the time to build that confidence of I can, 145 00:09:13,880 --> 00:09:16,360 Speaker 3: I am, I will, And also. 146 00:09:16,440 --> 00:09:17,480 Speaker 1: With good posture. 147 00:09:18,120 --> 00:09:21,640 Speaker 3: There's the self confidence that comes with being able to 148 00:09:21,720 --> 00:09:27,200 Speaker 3: stand tall, feeling secure. It can be a reflection of 149 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:30,480 Speaker 3: your child's self image or their emotional state. 150 00:09:30,800 --> 00:09:31,360 Speaker 1: As well. 151 00:09:31,920 --> 00:09:36,040 Speaker 3: So good posture is very closely related to postural balance, 152 00:09:36,600 --> 00:09:40,120 Speaker 3: and that requires an awareness of both sides of the 153 00:09:40,160 --> 00:09:44,319 Speaker 3: body and how they interact with each other. So any 154 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:47,800 Speaker 3: kind of activity requiring balance is a good thing. So 155 00:09:47,840 --> 00:09:51,720 Speaker 3: whether it's walking on a tiny little two brick wall, 156 00:09:52,280 --> 00:09:55,839 Speaker 3: and then eventually if a child goes to gymnastics, then 157 00:09:55,880 --> 00:09:59,600 Speaker 3: they might be walking on a balance beam. And you 158 00:09:59,640 --> 00:10:04,520 Speaker 3: can do do something so easily with something like a 159 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:09,319 Speaker 3: just a skipping rope. Lay a skipping rope down on 160 00:10:09,360 --> 00:10:12,560 Speaker 3: the grass and get your child to walk on top 161 00:10:12,679 --> 00:10:16,240 Speaker 3: of the skipping rope to stay balanced and on the 162 00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:20,720 Speaker 3: skipping rope. If you've got tiled floors, you can get 163 00:10:20,720 --> 00:10:24,520 Speaker 3: your child to walk on the line created by the 164 00:10:24,600 --> 00:10:31,280 Speaker 3: tiled floors. So that's a brilliant activity. So muscle tone also, interestingly, 165 00:10:31,679 --> 00:10:36,480 Speaker 3: when it affects the mouth, it can impact on feeding, 166 00:10:37,440 --> 00:10:41,200 Speaker 3: and those children may have feeding issues once they get 167 00:10:41,240 --> 00:10:44,480 Speaker 3: onto well even breastfeeding, but once they get onto solids, 168 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:48,760 Speaker 3: you can often see that they've got a low muscle tone. 169 00:10:49,040 --> 00:10:52,079 Speaker 3: So if you are concerned that your child has low 170 00:10:52,160 --> 00:10:55,920 Speaker 3: muscle tone, usually a good preschool teacher will pick it 171 00:10:56,000 --> 00:10:56,840 Speaker 3: up quite quickly. 172 00:10:57,320 --> 00:10:58,360 Speaker 1: I had one child. 173 00:10:58,880 --> 00:11:01,800 Speaker 3: One of my sons had low muscle tone and needed 174 00:11:01,840 --> 00:11:06,839 Speaker 3: to go for an occupational therapy assessment, an educational psychology assessment, 175 00:11:07,200 --> 00:11:12,600 Speaker 3: and landed up having occupational therapy, which is amazing because 176 00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:16,720 Speaker 3: when you have occupational therapy intervention in the preschool years, 177 00:11:16,760 --> 00:11:19,600 Speaker 3: in the early years, the brain is so plastic and 178 00:11:19,640 --> 00:11:24,280 Speaker 3: elastic that it can rewire itself very very quickly, and 179 00:11:24,880 --> 00:11:28,160 Speaker 3: so an occupational therapist or even a speech therapist, if 180 00:11:28,200 --> 00:11:31,720 Speaker 3: there's a lot of oral motor issues around the mouth 181 00:11:32,640 --> 00:11:37,240 Speaker 3: which are causing speech issues, you would be told to 182 00:11:37,280 --> 00:11:40,520 Speaker 3: go to a speech therapist as well. But we want 183 00:11:40,559 --> 00:11:45,199 Speaker 3: our kids to be able to not fatigue during the day. 184 00:11:45,240 --> 00:11:48,840 Speaker 3: They need endurance. We don't want them to get exhausted quickly. 185 00:11:49,440 --> 00:11:52,600 Speaker 3: So they need to develop fitness. They need to develop 186 00:11:53,440 --> 00:11:58,280 Speaker 3: their muscle tone, their muscle strength, their mobility, and their joints, 187 00:11:59,160 --> 00:12:02,439 Speaker 3: and they need to be stable. So we talk about 188 00:12:03,679 --> 00:12:07,200 Speaker 3: postural control, and we also talk about trunk strength. 189 00:12:07,400 --> 00:12:08,800 Speaker 1: The trunk of the body. 190 00:12:09,360 --> 00:12:12,000 Speaker 3: Is it able to hold itself up because it's very 191 00:12:12,040 --> 00:12:15,680 Speaker 3: hard to sit in a classroom for twenty thirty or 192 00:12:15,720 --> 00:12:20,079 Speaker 3: forty minutes having to listen, having to hold yourself upright 193 00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:24,600 Speaker 3: and having to write as the teacher talks if you 194 00:12:24,720 --> 00:12:29,640 Speaker 3: actually can't even control the core of your body. So 195 00:12:29,679 --> 00:12:33,239 Speaker 3: the core strength is going to have a big influence 196 00:12:33,280 --> 00:12:37,240 Speaker 3: on your child's ability to concentrate in the classroom, to 197 00:12:37,360 --> 00:12:43,080 Speaker 3: take in new information, to process that information, to file 198 00:12:43,360 --> 00:12:48,839 Speaker 3: that information, to memorize that information, and ultimately to retrieve 199 00:12:48,960 --> 00:12:53,400 Speaker 3: that information and either retrieve it and answer a question 200 00:12:53,840 --> 00:12:57,640 Speaker 3: verbally or to answer a question on a piece of paper. 201 00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:02,080 Speaker 3: So we really need to get the basics right, and 202 00:13:02,120 --> 00:13:07,520 Speaker 3: the basics start with the body. So we want parents 203 00:13:07,520 --> 00:13:10,080 Speaker 3: to be very aware of this. If your child is 204 00:13:10,160 --> 00:13:15,679 Speaker 3: showing poor posture, or showing slouching or floppiness or tiring easily, 205 00:13:16,280 --> 00:13:19,120 Speaker 3: these are signals that you need to have this checked 206 00:13:19,120 --> 00:13:23,480 Speaker 3: out and you need to do intervention as quickly as possible. 207 00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:26,439 Speaker 2: And so, you know, you were saying that in some 208 00:13:26,480 --> 00:13:30,560 Speaker 2: instances it may require the intervention or the assistance of 209 00:13:30,679 --> 00:13:35,360 Speaker 2: a professional, for instance, like an occupational therapist. But if 210 00:13:35,360 --> 00:13:38,319 Speaker 2: it isn't that, if it doesn't need that kind of intervention, 211 00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:41,079 Speaker 2: it does sound as though for parents, if they can 212 00:13:41,240 --> 00:13:46,680 Speaker 2: encourage regular structured play, they can assist their kids kind 213 00:13:46,679 --> 00:13:50,679 Speaker 2: of build this muscle tone, build those skills often, you know, 214 00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:54,280 Speaker 2: working on those big muscles, because a parent might be 215 00:13:54,360 --> 00:13:57,160 Speaker 2: listening and thinking, well, I know nothing about developing my 216 00:13:57,240 --> 00:13:59,960 Speaker 2: child's muscle tone, But it sounds as though parents can 217 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:03,520 Speaker 2: and can actually do quite a lot to develop kids 218 00:14:03,840 --> 00:14:07,800 Speaker 2: muscle tone, provided it doesn't need the intervention of a professional. 219 00:14:08,800 --> 00:14:10,720 Speaker 3: Yes, there's so much you can do at home, and 220 00:14:10,760 --> 00:14:14,560 Speaker 3: it can just be part of your normal kind of 221 00:14:14,679 --> 00:14:19,280 Speaker 3: rough and tumble and connection with your child. Take, for example, 222 00:14:19,440 --> 00:14:24,600 Speaker 3: wheelbarrow walking, and this is something any parent can do 223 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:28,960 Speaker 3: with their child and kids love this. So you could 224 00:14:29,040 --> 00:14:32,320 Speaker 3: do this every night while you are taking your children 225 00:14:32,440 --> 00:14:35,120 Speaker 3: to the bathroom to clean their teeth, where you hold 226 00:14:35,240 --> 00:14:38,840 Speaker 3: their legs and they walk on their arms and they 227 00:14:38,880 --> 00:14:42,640 Speaker 3: do wheelbarrow walking down the passage to the bathroom and 228 00:14:42,680 --> 00:14:45,240 Speaker 3: then they brush their teeth, and that can become a ritual. 229 00:14:45,880 --> 00:14:46,800 Speaker 1: And that's all. 230 00:14:46,680 --> 00:14:52,160 Speaker 3: About strengthening the shoulder girdle and the arms for writing. 231 00:14:53,640 --> 00:14:56,360 Speaker 3: So then you can do the hand walking or the 232 00:14:56,440 --> 00:15:01,000 Speaker 3: monkey bars when hanging from a jungle gym. And then 233 00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:04,000 Speaker 3: you can also get these we used to call them 234 00:15:04,040 --> 00:15:08,400 Speaker 3: hang tough rings, rings like you would see in gymnastics, 235 00:15:08,400 --> 00:15:11,720 Speaker 3: You know those rings that those men hang on and 236 00:15:11,760 --> 00:15:14,160 Speaker 3: they do the most incredible things. You can get a 237 00:15:14,240 --> 00:15:18,000 Speaker 3: kiddie version of that. And sometimes they're attached to a 238 00:15:18,080 --> 00:15:21,840 Speaker 3: jungle gym. Sometimes you can attach them to a frame 239 00:15:22,400 --> 00:15:25,040 Speaker 3: a bar in a doorway and get your children to 240 00:15:25,080 --> 00:15:28,400 Speaker 3: swing and do somersaults between those hang tough rings. 241 00:15:29,840 --> 00:15:30,880 Speaker 1: That's really important. 242 00:15:30,920 --> 00:15:33,800 Speaker 3: And then I have a childhood memory of being on 243 00:15:33,840 --> 00:15:36,840 Speaker 3: a beach in Kenya where I grew up in my 244 00:15:36,960 --> 00:15:40,280 Speaker 3: preschool years, and we used to go on family holidays 245 00:15:40,280 --> 00:15:43,280 Speaker 3: with other friends and they would probably be fifteen of 246 00:15:43,360 --> 00:15:45,920 Speaker 3: us on the beach at a time and we would 247 00:15:45,920 --> 00:15:49,120 Speaker 3: have family leap frog races down the beach. 248 00:15:49,320 --> 00:15:50,960 Speaker 1: You have to be on a flat beach for this. 249 00:15:51,440 --> 00:15:53,960 Speaker 3: But that's when everybody bends over and they make them 250 00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:57,440 Speaker 3: they make themselves small, and the person who is is 251 00:15:57,520 --> 00:16:01,120 Speaker 3: race doing the race is leap frogging, using their arms 252 00:16:01,560 --> 00:16:05,480 Speaker 3: on everybody's backs to leap frog over each person. And 253 00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:07,480 Speaker 3: then as they get to the end of the queue, 254 00:16:07,520 --> 00:16:10,560 Speaker 3: the next person starts leap frogging. And it's such a 255 00:16:10,600 --> 00:16:13,400 Speaker 3: fun thing to do with kids, and you can mix 256 00:16:13,480 --> 00:16:17,640 Speaker 3: together adults and children. It requires judgment of speed, space 257 00:16:17,720 --> 00:16:21,680 Speaker 3: and distance, and it would be from a child for 258 00:16:21,760 --> 00:16:25,920 Speaker 3: a child from about six years of age onwards, and 259 00:16:26,320 --> 00:16:27,320 Speaker 3: it's such fun. 260 00:16:27,480 --> 00:16:27,960 Speaker 1: And then of. 261 00:16:27,920 --> 00:16:32,120 Speaker 3: Course things like push ups, which are really basic, but 262 00:16:32,240 --> 00:16:36,920 Speaker 3: push ups are fantastic for the shoulder girdle, the hip girdle. 263 00:16:37,440 --> 00:16:41,240 Speaker 3: And you can get kids to also crawl underneath a 264 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:44,040 Speaker 3: row of chairs, for example, So put a row of 265 00:16:44,120 --> 00:16:48,040 Speaker 3: chairs together, your dining room chairs or your patio chairs. 266 00:16:48,080 --> 00:16:50,760 Speaker 3: Put a row of chairs together, get them to crawl 267 00:16:51,120 --> 00:16:54,520 Speaker 3: between the chairs. There is so much you can do 268 00:16:54,680 --> 00:16:58,600 Speaker 3: just with normal household objects. And as I said, even 269 00:16:58,800 --> 00:17:04,320 Speaker 3: just your paved tiled floors provide a lot of potential 270 00:17:04,359 --> 00:17:09,320 Speaker 3: activities for children to do, jumping between each block or 271 00:17:09,359 --> 00:17:15,359 Speaker 3: doing hopscotch. Those things are so useful in developing a 272 00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:16,760 Speaker 3: child's muscle tone. 273 00:17:17,560 --> 00:17:19,880 Speaker 2: Nikki has always a great pleasure having you on the show. 274 00:17:19,960 --> 00:17:22,159 Speaker 2: Thank you so much for your time this morning. 275 00:17:23,640 --> 00:17:24,400 Speaker 1: That's a pleasure. 276 00:17:24,440 --> 00:17:27,200 Speaker 3: And adults don't forget that as you age, your muscle 277 00:17:27,240 --> 00:17:30,959 Speaker 3: tone also reduces. So we have to keep doing exercise 278 00:17:31,080 --> 00:17:34,800 Speaker 3: two in order to hold ourselves up as we get older. 279 00:17:35,560 --> 00:17:39,000 Speaker 2: That's our resident human potential and parenting expert Nikki Bosh. 280 00:17:39,320 --> 00:17:41,119 Speaker 2: Coming up, we have a look at what's happening in 281 00:17:41,320 --> 00:17:43,960 Speaker 2: seven o two Land and if there's something happening in 282 00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:46,199 Speaker 2: your corner of seven no two Land, we want to 283 00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:48,280 Speaker 2: hear about it. On O seven two, seven O two one, 284 00:17:48,600 --> 00:17:50,920 Speaker 2: seven oh two. Send us an SMS on three one 285 00:17:50,920 --> 00:17:53,600 Speaker 2: at seven oh two we'll be in conversation with Malair. 286 00:17:53,680 --> 00:17:57,000 Speaker 2: She has a performance coming up in seven O two Land. 287 00:17:57,080 --> 00:17:59,760 Speaker 2: But also it is eight thirteenth time for us to 288 00:17:59,800 --> 00:18:02,399 Speaker 2: check with your latest. I would miss New Sport with 289 00:18:02,520 --> 00:18:03,320 Speaker 2: underneath shader