A psychologist's experience at the Health Camp for Overweight Children
The experience of Daniela Dociu, a psychologist at the health camp for overweight children
"I went to the Straja Health Camp out of a desire to help teenagers with weight problems achieve emotional balance and out of a desire to have a new professional experience. I never imagined, though, that this NEW would mean so much, such depth in feelings, thoughts, emotions and actions.
From my experience working with children and their parents, this was a camp about emotional openness, courage, tenacity and personal growth. About understanding that our sorrows and joys are alike, and that sharing them gives us a sense of communion and belonging. About the ability to tolerate an immediate, temporary discomfort in favor of a later benefit.
About helping one another and taking initiative, about meeting problems with compassion, for only in this way can we change them. About discovering hidden, latent qualities, or ones never before revealed. About becoming aware of one's vulnerabilities and the resolve to work on one's own Self, to polish and shape it, even if that first involves pain and frustration. About the desire for change and the motivation to become better, with ourselves and with others.
There were many moments when the children impressed me over the course of the 3 weeks, in the interactive psychology groups and the individual counseling or psychotherapy sessions. If you don't reveal yourself to others, you can't reveal yourself to yourself either, because you discover yourself and grow together with others. If you suppress who you are, hidden behind certain fears, you also suppress who you could become, your entire potential. You deny yourself the chance for human connection, growth, fulfillment. When you explore boldly and expose yourself to new experiences that you come through well, you gain a more robust self, more confident and equipped to face life's difficulties. These are a few of the things the children at camp learned and that I myself was reminded of. They learned and practiced patience, the strength to say "no" to an impulse that is unfavorable in the long term, the conviction that they are capable of overcoming the limits imposed by their own minds, the willingness to also feel sadness, anger, frustration, dissatisfaction – emotions that are part of the humanity of our lives.
These children left the Straja Camp richer. But not in material things. Rather in the courage to speak about the things that weigh on them or contort their souls, in the strength to hold uncomfortable conversations, hoping they will lead to a better and more encouraging outcome. They gained the strength to listen to criticism without becoming defensive and to apologize when they felt they had done wrong. The parents left with more attention to their relationship with their child and with more self-awareness. With the desire to rebuild certain shaky foundations of attachment and the intention to add more bricks to the foundation of their relationship with their teenager. It is essential to understand that the little ones, alongside the indispensable affection and warmth, also need discipline. Firm enough to make them respect certain rules and understand their purpose, but not so harsh as to instill insecurity and fear. This is because at their age they cannot foresee the benefits of present sacrifices and efforts, which is why they need from us, the adults, a framework that structures their personality and healthy life habits.
The things we believe in, specifically physical and emotional well-being, give meaning to moments and challenges that can sometimes prove difficult: intense training sessions, 6-8h mountain hikes, keeping to a daily schedule, maintaining self-control, fighting cravings and the determination to continue a weight-loss program. In the end, what we love keeps us alive and gives color to our lives. It drives us to keep going when we encounter obstacles on our path.
I grew fond of the children, the parents, the colleagues. On my return, even people told me I had changed. Most likely. We transform…through others and together with others."
New Year's Eve 2021 at Pensiunea Dor de Munte
The New Year's Eve package includes:
Accommodation in rooms for 2, 3, 4 and 5 people, Half board and a festive meal with tasty traditional dishes and drinks to match, The chance to relax using the hot tubs and sauna available at the guesthouse, 30% off ski equipment rental, 15% off the ski pass and a 20 € voucher at the Straja Ski and Snowboard School.Prices:
All-inclusive accommodation:
Accommodation without meals:
⛑ We have taken protective measures against Covid 19.
⛑ We have taken protective measures against Covid 19.
🏡 Pensiunea Dor de Munte Straja is safe in the context of the Covid 19 pandemic, being in an isolated area at an altitude of 1360 m.
To protect the participants and the guesthouse staff, and also for the smooth running of the activities, we have taken the following measures against the spread of Covid 19:
✅Accommodation and meals rules:
1. The guesthouse will operate as a closed circuit, so only camp participants will have access to the property.
2. On arrival, the temperature of guests and staff will be taken. If it exceeds 37.3⁰C, they will not be allowed into the establishment. Participants must present a certificate from their family doctor stating that they are not registered with chronic transmissible diseases.
3. The maximum authorized number of places in the guesthouse will be respected. What's more, at least one free space will be left in each room! If the situation requires it, only one participant will stay in each room.
4. In the common areas you will find disinfectant and masks provided free of charge. All common areas will be disinfected at least 3 times a day.
5. Food will be served during the time slots: 8:30-9:30, 13:00-14:30 and 19:00-20:30, outside the guesthouse, out on the terrace. The tables will be at least 1.5 m apart. Food will be served on disposable plastic plates and with disposable plastic cutlery.
6. When the law permits, we will serve food in the enclosed spaces of the restaurant, if the camp organizer requests it in certain situations, respecting all the rules imposed by the authorities.
7. Breakfast can be served in the room or outside on the terrace, depending on the situation.
7. The guesthouse staff who come into contact with the tourists will be protected with a protective mask and gloves.
8. The camp participants have a well-established hygiene and room-tidying schedule.
9. Participants will be instructed to follow the protective and self-protective measures against Covid 19. Notices with the recommended measures will be displayed in plain sight, and the instructors will constantly ensure that they are followed.
✅Activities rules
1. All activities will take place outdoors: morning warm-up, hikes, games, adventure park, zip line, wall climbing, health education lessons, sports lessons, cultural-educational lessons, campfire, film on the projector, and more.
2. Participants will avoid physical contact and keep an appropriate distance from their peers during the activities.
3. Personalized bandanas will be provided free of charge that can, if needed, cover the mouth and nose during activities and beyond.
✔Please note that we will keep in touch with the authorities to stay up to date with developments related to the state of alert and to ensure that we meet all the legal measures.
✔Our camps promote health above all.
Don't lose #sight of the Tabere Straja discounts.
Details and enrollment:
💻Web: www.taberestraja.ro
📱Tel: 0727851654
🏳🌈Everything will be fine!
Health Camp for Overweight Children – Straja
What is the Health Camp?
The Straja camp is the first camp of its kind in Romania dedicated to children and teenagers with weight problems. Our approach is multidisciplinary and is delivered by specialists from 3 fields: nutrition, sport and psychology, and changes in body weight are monitored throughout the camp.
Our goal is to help children and teenagers with weight problems reach a physical and emotional balance, gain self-confidence and make plenty of new friends.
Objectives
Over the 21 days, our mission is to help children and teenagers adopt a balanced lifestyle, promoting eating habits and behaviors that last over time.
We know that balance is the key, so at the Health Camp we learn that a healthy weight is not achieved through going hungry, restrictions and a bland diet, but through changing one's lifestyle.
Weight loss is not the objective, but the result of our actions, and it is achieved the right way, in a positive manner!
Participants
Children and teenagers aged 7 to 18 who have weight problems or who want to take up a healthy lifestyle.
Activities
Nutrition workshops and personal-development activities.
We learn together, in an enjoyable and age-appropriate way, what a balanced diet means and what role nutrition plays in a healthy lifestyle. We run personal-development workshops and offer individual and group psychological support, both delivered by specialists in this field.
Sporting activities
Over the 3 weeks we practice various sports and games that require plenty of movement, to improve our coordination and mobility.
Outdoor activities
We conquer mountains, visit caves and waterfalls, learn how to build campfires, how to cook outdoors and push past our limits in the Adventure Parks.
Food and cooking workshops
The camp menu includes 3 main meals and 2 snacks, all healthy! The menu is designed by the nutritionist and the dishes are cooked under their supervision, taking into account the children's age and energy needs.
We want happy children, and to help them grow into healthy adults!
Nutritionist-Dietician – Adelina Borbely
Tabere Straja – A story about the summer camps
Out of love for the mountains, for movement and for healthy food, out of a desire to give new generations the childhood of times past, with the help of passionate specialists, we created Tabere Straja. Our hosts are the guesthouses at an altitude of 1400 m, in the Straja resort, in the heart of the Vâlcan mountains, a mountain group of the Retezat-Godeanu Mountains.
"Tabere Straja changes destinies" – a bold statement that children, parents and instructors alike have made in turn. We all know that positive change happens when we step out of our comfort zone. That's why our program is made up of a wide range of activities, carefully chosen by specialists from different fields: physical-education and sports teachers, mountain rescuers, ski and snowboard instructors, psychologists, nutritionist-dieticians, art, music and dance teachers, doctors and athletes of national and international renown.
From the very first hours of camp, the participants get to know their surroundings: the slopes where they ski in winter, the Heroes' Cross, the adventure parks, the Straja Hermitage, Baloo the bear, the sheepfold, beech and fir forests, and they take in the peaks of over 2500 m, Păpușa and Peleaga.
Children of all ages, arriving from all over the country, get to know each other through games as well as through free conversation. Games have a powerful appeal for children and teenagers and an educational value through their wealth of ideas, by heightening emotions and engaging the intellect and the spirit of organization — that is why they are a core activity in our camps, alongside the adventure park trail and the hikes.
The children's artistic side is developed through stone painting, dance choreography and gymnastics, but also through the nutrition and psychology lessons. In the evening, we enjoy fun activities: a campfire, parties, an open-air film, a talent show and cabin games. We place great emphasis on keeping to the schedule, mutual respect, discipline and hygiene, with the participants being equal in front of the instructors. Of course, safety comes first at Tabere Straja.
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Choose your favorite camp:
The adventure camp for school-age children – Come to Straja for the adventure of your summer;
The adventure and nutrition camp for preschoolers – Camps for you and your family;
The health camp for overweight children – We want happy children, and to help them grow into healthy adults;
The sport and nutrition camp for adults – Build the best version of yourself!;
Adventure camps with a second theme of your choice: English, math, computer science, the arts, and more;
Team Building – We build teams!
The Founder of Tabere Straja – FODORAN MARIUS DAN – Doctoral thesis
See the full doctoral thesis in the attached PDF.FODORAN MARIUS DAN
DOCTORAL THESIS
"THE CONCEPTUAL AND PRACTICAL OPTIMIZATION OF THE METHODOLOGY FOR TEACHING ALPINE SKIING TO OLDER PRESCHOOL CHILDREN"
ACADEMIC SUPERVISOR:
PROF. UNIV. DR. NEAMȚU MIRCEA
Bucharest
2019
INTRODUCTION
The place and importance of the topic in the Science of Sport and Physical Education
Skiing, worldwide, has reached an absolutely impressive level of popularity today, being, according to mountain resort statistics, the most popular winter sport, thanks to the unique sensations and experiences it offers its practitioners. The possibility of free expression and of interaction with nature helps improve both physical and mental health, which is why it is one of the main activities during winter holidays for the population of Romania as well.
The national ski schools with an international tradition invest a great deal of resources in research and in developing methodical systems in line with new materials and equipment. One example is the French Ski School, which in 2017 developed a new methodical system and introduced different teaching approaches in learning and two tests for ski instructors, Eurosecurity and Eurotest, which give them the right to reach level I and, implicitly, the right to practice freely. The teaching methodology is the main "weapon" used by ski instructors to learn, improve and refine technique, in the shortest possible time and safely, in line with current requirements.
From this point of view, we want the research to be an invitation to ski instructors to study and make use of it in the lessons held on the slopes of our country.
The relevance of the topic
Today we can no longer speak only of skiing, but of snow-gliding sports as leisure activities, thanks to the multitude of equipment and the many possibilities for practicing them. The new elements that appear are welcome in the world of snow sports, while also bringing great challenges to the instructors who teach these sports.
From the daring feats of some skiers and with the support of the major sports equipment manufacturers, other variants of skiing have also emerged: off-piste skiing, freestyle skiing, acrobatic skiing, ski touring, monoskiing, big foot skiing and others.
The ski schools in the mountain resorts offer the possibility of practicing skiing in an organized setting, giving importance to the relationship between sport and tourism.
The number of people learning to ski in Romania in an organized way has grown in recent years, according to ski resort statistics. At the same time, the number of instructors who successfully integrate into the labor market, in the new ski schools, has also grown.
The motivation for choosing the topic
I chose the topic titled "The conceptual and practical optimization of the methodology for teaching alpine skiing to older preschool children" first of all because I am the founder of a private ski and snowboard school with 45 instructors. The majority of clients are between 5 and 7 years old, and the lack of an up-to-date teaching methodology adapted to this age leads to the formation of incorrect habits. I organize ski and nutrition camps for preschoolers at the Straja mountain resort with over 500 participants each year, having at my disposal a private beginners' slope and a conveyor belt.
From the instructor's point of view, teaching alpine skiing is a task that involves great responsibility because of the risks of accidents that exist at all levels of training. Preschoolers can quickly lose interest in lessons, and motivation can be achieved with the help of games and stories that can keep them captivated on the slope for up to three hours per session.
In this work I wish to emphasize the importance of developing a methodology for teaching skiing through games to children aged 5 to 7. The idea I started from is that correct early learning and training, adapted to the new conditions, would increase the quality of the technique of Romania's skiers.
The importance of the topic is given by the need to optimize, conceptually and practically, the methodology for teaching skiing in Romania, something demanded by the current requirements of Romanian recreational and competitive skiers and by the new equipment and uphill ski lift installations.
Through this research I wish to improve my scientific and practical competence in the direction of leading lessons for preschoolers and to share these innovations with the instructors I lead.
Taking into account the experience of the world's oldest ski schools and of the specialists in Romania, combined with my own experience gained as a competitive skier, ski instructor, performance coach, graduate of the eurotest and the eurosecurity course at the "Ecole Nationale de Ski et d'Alpinisme" (the French School of Skiing and Mountaineering), student at the National University of Physical Education and Sport Bucharest (U.N.E.F.S.) and founder and director of the Straja Ski and Snowboard School, we wish to develop a methodical guide adapted to modern working materials, to the level of development of mountain tourism and to the motor abilities of tourists.
The overall purpose of the research project is to improve the teaching of skiing at the older preschool age and to help Romania's private ski schools guide their activity by an up-to-date methodical guide. We carry out extensive documentation of the teaching methodologies used by the world's major ski schools, with the desire to find the most modern and effective learning methods.
We wish to emphasize the correct informing of ski instructors, so that teaching is no longer done "by ear", while in the world's major ski schools scientific methodical systems are applied.
By publishing this work we wish to meet the needs of Romania's ski instructors with a modern methodical system for preschoolers, appropriate to Romanian realities and adapted to the new equipment, working materials and transport installations. This methodical line will not be conceived as a conglomerate of heterogeneous elements borrowed from different countries, but will be based on the French and Romanian methodical systems. In this context, it implies adopting a selective and critical attitude towards existing information, bringing innovation and borrowing ideas from other sports.
We wish to emphasize the importance of an optimal adaptation of the set of intervention procedures in learning the basic technique, woven together with movement games that consolidate and refine what has been learned. The idea we started from is that early and correct training, adapted to the new conditions, would increase the quality of the technique of Romania's skiers, thus reducing the number of accidents on the slopes.
Summer camp – short topical articles
Short articles written by our instructors – Tabere Straja – Summer Camps
- How do we talk to children about the COVID-19 virus?
- We present the recipe for the Fruitylicious bar.
- Can we protect ourselves from the COVID-19 pandemic with the help of food or dietary supplements?
- What are the benefits of children spending time cooking?
The instructors of the summer camps: the health camp for overweight children, the adventure camp for school-age children, the adventure and nutrition camp for preschoolers and the sport and nutrition camp for adults have prepared for you a few interesting, and also useful, articles.
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How do we talk to children about the COVID-19 virus?
#savethesummercamps🌈
👩🏼🏫Our psychologist Andreea Şilochi from the Health Camp for Overweight Children recommends a timely article!!
❗️It is VERY IMPORTANT how we talk to children about the COVID-19 virus:
https://www.nasponline.org/…/talking-to-children-about-covi…
🔴We all know that the media has a great influence on people, especially when they are experiencing strong emotions or going through a critical period or situation.
During this time, we are all bombarded with various news stories, some of them true, others false, made with the aim of triggering or amplifying strong negative emotions, such as fear or even panic.
To better understand this phenomenon of fake news, we recommend the following short video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwjwQvXohdI
🔴So, we also offer you a series of official online sources that you can follow to find information about the COVID-19 virus:
– http://www.ms.ro/coronavirus-covid-19/
– https://www.who.int/emergen…/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
Recommendations from the article suggested in the links – about how we talk to children about COVID-19:
– try to be a role model for your children – children usually react to a parent's reactions, learning from the example they set;
– be aware of how you talk to them about COVID-19 – this can increase or decrease the fear they may feel – reassure them that you are with them and that you are there to give them the security they need; listen to them when they talk about how they feel and respond to them with honesty and gentleness;
– explain to them the importance of social distancing – tell them that a set of rules from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other specialists must be followed, including keeping a distance from others, precisely to keep COVID-19 infection at bay;
– do breathing exercises together with them, to calm strong emotions;
– focus on the positive things – enjoy your family and the time spent with them and pursue your projects and passions; give children the chance to connect with their friends online
– set a daily routine and follow it – it helps increase the sense of control, calm and well-being; do physical exercise together with the little ones;
– identify projects through which you can help others – for example – check in on vulnerable people, such as the elderly, and offer them your support;
– give children love and affection – they need it, especially during this time;
– monitor the activity of watching television and reading news on social media sites; these can negatively influence emotions of fear and anxiety, many of them being false and, moreover, capable of creating confusion in children;
– explain to children that much of the news on social media sites is untrue and may contain inaccurate information; talk to children about suitable and appropriate information related to COVID-19;
– when you talk to children, let their questions guide you – answer them honestly, but don't give details that aren't necessary – don't avoid passing on the information that experts suggest is crucial for children's well-being – give them information to increase their sense of control and reduce their fear;
– explain the safety steps to them in a simple and honest way – for example – This virus spreads among people who are close to one another, when someone sneezes or coughs, or when someone touches objects or surfaces infected with the virus
– stay up to date and get your information from official sources
– take the child's age into account when giving them information – for example, with a child in elementary school (grades 1-4), you can explain the basic rules, the fact that we have to wash our hands to stay away from the virus, reassuring them that you are with them and will protect them, so they are safe; with a teenager, you can explain in depth, involving them in decisions about the activities you can do together at home.
For all children, it is important to encourage them to talk about how they feel and what they think about this situation, and to listen to them!
– stay connected to school – find learning resources, online platforms, ask the children (especially teenagers) about the information received from school that could help you – talk to the teachers if you are worried about how (the child) is coping with the situation – for example – if you notice they don't have time for all the online homework
– familiarize yourself with the symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, dry cough, breathing difficulties – which appear within 14 days of exposure to the virus) – for some, the symptoms are similar to those of a cold, for others, they are more severe
– emphasize hygiene and a healthy lifestyle – encourage children to wash their hands (for the little ones – they can hum a children's song for 20 seconds)
– praise children's healthy behaviors (sneezing into their elbow, washing their hands, throwing away the tissue they sneezed into, etc.)
– unfortunately, handshakes and hugs must be limited during this time
– encourage children to eat healthily, sleep and exercise – remember, what matters is what they see their parents do, not what their parents tell them to do!
– be aware of their mental health – if you notice the following symptoms in children, persisting for more than two weeks, consult a specialist:
– for preschoolers (under 7) – if you notice them sucking their thumb, sweating excessively, wetting the bed or their clothes, clinging to their parents, fear of the dark, loss of appetite, withdrawn behaviors;
– for children in elementary school (grades 1-4) – irritability, aggression, nightmares, avoiding school, reduced concentration and withdrawal from activities with friends or family;
– for teenagers – sleep deficits, disrupted eating (eating either more or less), restlessness, increased conflicts, delinquent behavior, reduced concentration.
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We present the recipe for the Fruitylicious bar
👩🏼🏫Together with Larisa Rusu, the Tabere Straja nutritionist, we want to present the recipe for the Fruitylicious bar.
👩🏼🍳Let's remember what we used to do at camp.
📸We look forward to photos in the comments section, if you make the bars at home.
📄Recipe for a seed snack bar
Ingredients:
Walnuts/hazelnuts/almonds/seeds, muesli/oat flakes, banana (essential to bind the rest of the ingredients together), honey, dried fruit/goji berries/raisins, *coconut flakes, *chocolate chips, milk (to soften the oat flakes).
Method:
Mash the banana
Pour milk over the oat flakes to soften them
Mix the dry ingredients in a larger bowl, then add the mashed banana
Spread the mixture into a tray lined with baking paper
Put it all in the oven for 10-15 min at 180 degrees Celsius, until the color turns golden-brown.
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Can we protect ourselves from the COVID-19 pandemic with the help of food or dietary supplements?
🦠COVID-19- Raluca Topan a nutritionist-dietician on the Tabere Straja team, has prepared an informative text for us.
In the context of the current pandemic and the widespread fear of catching the virus, a series of miraculous claims and tips have appeared in the press and on social media about certain miracle foods and supplements that strengthen the immune system and help us avoid developing the virus.
Can we improve and strengthen our immune system with the help of food?
When we talk about the immune system, it is more useful to talk about how a healthy and balanced diet can help it function NORMALLY and ideally, certainly not about "boosting" it.
Put more simply, we cannot "boost" our immune system through food, and no specific food or supplement can prevent catching the COVID-19 virus. Good hygiene practice remains the best way to avoid infection.
To date, the European Food Safety Authority has not authorized any legislation for a food, food product or supplement to be labeled as having a protective role against infection.
There are many nutrients involved in the normal functioning of the immune system (including Copper, Folate, Iron, Selenium, Zinc and vitamins A, B6, B12, C and D), so I would rather encourage maintaining a healthy and balanced diet during this time, to support immune function.
We don't recommend eating any specific food at the expense of another; instead I encourage you to eat a wide variety of foods, from all the food groups, to maintain a balanced and healthy diet.
Foods, as such, in their natural form, contain plenty of nutrients that help support the immune system.
By eating as varied a range of foods as possible, from all the food groups, we will manage to give our bodies all the nutrients they need, without resorting to "miracle" supplements.
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What are the benefits of children spending time cooking?
We know that during this time it's a challenge to find activities that keep the little ones busy for a long time, but that are also useful to them, so we have a suggestion:
Keep them in the kitchen alongside you!
What are the benefits of children spending time cooking? Here are a few of them:
- It promotes healthy eating, the first and, in my opinion, most important benefit. By spending time cooking, children learn which foods are the most nutritious and which are the healthy ways of preparing food, and so they develop habits that can be kept up for life.
- By getting involved in the process, they will be much more open and curious and will try new dishes, which we know they are normally so skeptical about.
- It builds self-confidence: I'm sure you too remember your first successful recipe, what a lovely feeling, isn't it? When a child manages to complete a recipe successfully, even with help, they will surely feel proud. What's more, as children cook more, their level of independence grows, which in turn boosts self-esteem.
- It improves reading and math skills: ask them to read the recipes, which helps improve reading comprehension, and to do the measurements themselves, so you can revisit lessons learned at school (e.g. "If this recipe uses 2 eggs, how many would we use if we made it 3 times this week?")
- It increases the ability to concentrate and pay attention: you have to explain to them that, in order to get a satisfying result, they need to follow the instructions step by step and stay focused. Children will be very receptive and will understand that in order to enjoy the result they have to work very carefully.
– It strengthens emotional bonds: Cooking is a process the whole family can enjoy, so make this habit a routine and bring your loved ones closer!
It's quite possible the whole thing will end with more mess than usual, but you will certainly be helping the little ones develop harmoniously. Or who knows? You might discover you have a future cook in the family! 😊
Borbely Adelina, nutritionist-dietician at Tabere Straja
The health camp for overweight children; The adventure camp for school-age children; The adventure and nutrition camp for preschoolers; The sport and nutrition camp for adults; Summer camps 2020;