Get Movin' Monday: Back To School Healthy Habits

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- As kids head back to school, it's important to get them in the habit of eating a healthy breakfast and lunch.

It's also a time to make sure they're carrying the right backpack to avoid back pain.

Registered dietitian Susan Marschke and physical therapist Dr. Scott Gorham joined WCCO This Morning on Monday to give us tips on both topics. Some students are headed back to school as early as this week, while others will head back after Labor Day. There's not a lot of time left, so it's important to get those healthy habits started now.

Marschke said a healthy breakfast before the kids head off to school should include a combination of milk, Greek yogurt and oats that is easy to put together the night before. You can just grab it as you head out the door in the morning.

Marschke says for lunch, pack your meats and vegetables in plastic bags so they're ready to go in the morning. Instead of the juice packets filled with sugar, opt for water or milk.

Gorham says your backpack shouldn't be too heavy. The carriers of the backpack should only have a certain percentage of a student's body weight. He says for elementary school students, you want about 10 percent and for middle schoolers, about 12 percent and about 15 percent for high school kids.

That way, kids can carry their backpacks and not put too much stress on their back. It's also key to have a bag with wider straps that distributes the weight of the backpack more evenly.