Laura Lueloff

Aurora, Ontario

Laura is a mom of two, who lives in Aurora. She was chosen to be our Healthy Kids Community Challenge Ambassador for the month of February because she inspires us to be healthier, spend more time with our families, get outside and eat sensibly. Gemma Goldstein, the Healthy Kids Community Challenge Local Project Coordinator headed over to Laura's to ask her a few questions.

Gemma:

What inspires you to do what you do?

Laura:

Both my husband and I grew up in traditional households, with little screen time and a lot of physical activity. We believe that this has affected who we are and what we do. I believe that if I am a role model, just like my parents, to my children it will really influence their behaviours. We try to get out and be active as a family as well as live healthy individual lives. It is important for our kids to see us enjoying being active as well.

I run no matter what the weather is, prepare healthy food for my family and I am always championing active plans with family and friends. I am on the Trails and Active Transportation Committee with The Town of Aurora, sit on the steering committee of the Healthy Kids Community Challenge and support the Activate Aurora program in any way I can. By being so involved, I hope it will inspire and motivate my kids to get involved as well.

I am also inspired by all the new programs in Aurora such as the Healthy Kids Community Challenge and Activate Aurora. It shows our town is committed to bringing awareness and attention to getting kids more active and healthy. This type of programming will be great in offering more opportunities for kids of all ages.

Gemma:

How do you encourage your whole family to be involved and get active?

Laura:

We all have our individual pursuits, I love to run, my husband loves to cycle, our son plays hockey and our daughter dances. However, we consider ourselves to be a multi-sport family and enjoy a variety of activities throughout the year. We also ensure we all join in for family activities that are inclusive and can be done together, such as skiing, swimming, cycling and skating. We encourage participation, it doesn't matter how good you are, for example I am not the best skater, but I am always out there on the ice with the kids no matter what. We believe having fun is important and it's what will keep the kids interested and motivated to continue to be physically active and healthy as they get older.

Gemma:

How do you ensure that you are not spending all day in front of a screen?

Laura:

In our house screen time is limited and the kids need to earn it through ensuring homework and other priorities come first. We definitely enjoy TV, movies and screens are a fun part of the day, but it is not the go-to activity in our household - it is all about balance.

When the kids' friends come over I encourage them to play outside and be active and not head straight to a screen for entertainment. They usually enjoy it so much they forget all about the TV or gaming options. It is also important to try to limit the amount of time I spend on my phone or computer in front of the kids. They need to see us demonstrate that other things come first and be positive role models when it comes to screens. I find that the more time my kids spend being active, the more their confidence and self-esteem grows.

Gemma:

Do you find that being active affects the time you have to socialize?

Laura:

Yes, but not in the way you think. I find that I have more time to socialize and that I actually see people more because I am active. The children and I walk to school everyday and on our way we have made new friends with other families and even another dog walker! I also have encouraged my friends to take evening power walks together; it doesn't take much effort be active and encourage others to as well. From a social standpoint it is always more fun to be active with a friend!

Gemma:

What would you love to see happen from the Healthy Kids Community Challenge?

Laura:

I would love to see the whole community get more active in a variety of ways and have more opportunities to do so. It would also be great for there to be more spontaneous gatherings of families in parks, all it takes is a text or a call and you can get 20 families together playing street hockey pretty quickly. I think as a community if we all roll our sleeves up a little – great things can happen. At Rick Hansen Public School we have noticed the incredible impact of the community adopting our walk to school program. It not only helps kids be active to and from school, but it also has social, safety and other wellness benefits as well. Programs such as the Healthy Kids Community Challenge will help bring more awareness and attention to opportunities for families and kids to be more active.

Gemma:

Do you worry about safety in the community for your kids?

Laura:

I think as parents we all worry about safety issues, but we are lucky to live in a very safe community. It is very common to see a ton of families gathered at our local park most evenings throughout the summer that offers a soccer field, track, exercise stations and the splash pad. It is a great example of a community hub where people gather to be active and are also watching out for others as well.

To be honest, I find the biggest danger in any neighbourhood to be cars. If more people used active transportation more frequently there would be less cars and ultimately safer neighbourhoods. However, we are a very vehicle dependent society and it becomes a vicious circle between the safety of pedestrians and drivers. I find my children are safer because we walk to school everyday, they are learning how and when to cross a road and be more aware of cars, which will prepare them for the future when they are navigating things independently.

Gemma:

Any last words?

Laura:

This is a team effort and Aurora's status as a healthy community will only improve with a big group effort so let's get going Aurora and all strive to be great role models for our kids leading healthy and active lifestyles!