Kids who are physically active tend to have better grades, school attendance, memory, concentration, and behavior. As an active family who likes to hike, rock climb, and ski, I want to instill in my kids the desire to stay fit and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Packing protein bars for our adventures ensures we have a nutritious snack to keep our energy levels up while enjoying outdoor activities together. Also, the more technologically advanced kids become nowadays, the higher the chance they’ll succeed in the future. There’s no better way to accomplish this than incorporating the use of technology into their daily lives.

To encourage this, I decided to get fitness trackers for our daughters who are six and nine years old. The primary functions in fitness trackers I was looking for were pretty basic: waterproof, displays the date and time, step tracking, and relatively long battery life.

I’ve found that these devices are useful even for young children. My 5-year-old can benefit from a fitness tracker by being aware of the current month, day, and time. She can answer many questions on her own now — How much longer until lunchtime? Is it almost time to go home? With the addition of timers, kids also get a better feel for time and actually how long is five, ten, fifteen, etc. minutes. Time is one of those concepts that is difficult to explain and needs personal experience on a repetitive basis to truly understand.

With the ability to set personal timers, children can also learn time management. Kids can tell what time of the day it is and choose when to start their thirty minutes of daily reading as an example.

Kids are also intrigued by tracking their physical activities, like hiking, walking, or running, and comparing step counts. It’s a fun way for the family to engage in friendly competition, encouraging each other to reach our individual fitness goals. If you’re looking for additional resources or tips on family fitness, websites like Americansportandfitness.com can provide valuable insights.

All that said, below are some of the best fitness trackers for kids that made my list.

Garmin Vivofit Jr

The popular Garmin Vivofit Jr is first on the list. With a battery life of 1+ year, it’s one less thing for kids (and me!) to worry about. After all, frequent battery charging is a hassle. Combined with the waterproof feature, the Garmin Vivofit Jr eliminates the need for kids to remove (and possibly lose) their fitness trackers.

The device capabilities are intuitive to use. There is only one button on the device that lets them cycle through the functions and make selections. They can easily see the month, date and time, the number of steps they have so far, and how close they are to their daily activity goal. As a side note, the United States Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day.

The stretchy band is pretty small though. It fit my 5-year-old, but not my 8-year-old. Fortunately, that’s not much of an issue since there are replacement bands for purchase.

The Garmin Vivofit Jr currently runs about $50 at Amazon.

Garmin Vivofit Jr 2

Interestingly, I found the Garmin Vivofit Jr 2 for only about $10 – $20 more! Version 2 has the same functions as version 1 (see above) but with some significant improvements. The Garmin Vivofit Jr 2 is intended for ages 4+. Version 2 has a colorful screen sized at 11 x 11 mm. In my opinion, the screen makes a big difference to children especially since they are used to colorful screens elsewhere, such as TVs, iPads, etc.

The Garmin Vivofit Jr 2 also comes with a lot more designs to choose from both in stretchy bands and adjustable bands. Kids can also set up to two timers. Due to this, I purchased the Garmin Vivofit Jr 2 for each of my daughters.

Setup was a breeze. I merely had to download the free Garmin Vivofit Jr app onto my phone, and then create an account to pair the fitness trackers to my phone. One account can have multiple profiles. So at a glance, I can view details for both of my daughters.

After three months of daily use, I did have to change the battery for one of the fitness trackers. Fortunately, it was an easy process. I did have an issue syncing the time though, which was two minutes behind. Garmin customer support was GREAT and immediately walked me through the steps on how to resolve the issue.

The Garmin Vivofit Jr 2 currently runs about $60 at Amazon.

A few months later, my oldest daughter lost her fitness tracker. I’m pretty sure it’s still at home, but we were unable to locate it after a week of searching. Which means I was in the market again to research and purchase another fitness tracker. This time I wanted a fitness tracker with the weather function. Living in Colorado, the weather changes constantly and she’s always asking for the weather forecast when picking out her school clothes.

In short, I wanted all the functions of the Garmin Vivofit Jr 2 plus weather updates. With the additional weather feature, it felt like I was stepping into the realm of adult fitness trackers or smartwatches. However, before fully committing to a new device, I also considered watch service, just in case maintenance or repairs were needed down the line.

Here’s what I found.

Garmin Vivofit 4

The Garmin Vivofit 4 seems to be an adult version of the Garmin Vivofit Jr 2. It has the weather function plus all the benefits of the Vivofit Jr 2.

The Garmin Vivofit 4 currently runs about $60 at Amazon.

Garmin Vivosmart 3

The Garmin Vivosmart 3 has a larger screen compared to the Vivofit Jr and the Vivofit 4. The device is waterproof which is a requirement in my opinion. It also has the weather function, my key requirement. This fitness tracker does not have GPS though and is, therefore, a satellite device to a smartphone. To update the weather, the fitness tracker needs to be near the phone where the app is installed.

The Vivosmart 3 has some interesting, advanced functions. It can monitor heart rate 24/7, as well as the number of calories burned. This Garmin device also includes their Smart Notifications function where the user can view emails and text messages right from their wrist. As you can see, this fitness tracker is more intended for adults.

Battery life is only up to five days. On the plus side, it has a small and thin profile. The band is not changeable though, so if the band breaks, it’s a significant issue.

The Garmin Vivosmart 3 currently runs about $73 at Amazon.

Fitbit Ace

The Fitbit Ace is intended for kids ages 8+. It doesn’t have the weather function. A huge negative is it is “showerproof – survives splashes and spills”. Which means to me it is not swim friendly or waterproof. Taking long showers or baths might be an issue. I’m a proponent of wearing fitness trackers 24/7. Especially for kids, having to take their fitness trackers off increases the risk of losing it.

Since this fitness tracker doesn’t have the weather function and not waterproof, the Fitbit Ace was not an option for us.

The Fitbit Ace currently runs about $99 at Amazon.

Apple Watch Series 3 (38mm)

Both my husband and I owned Apple watches. Before that, I cannot remember the last time I wore a watch on my wrist. The design of the watch is compact and efficient. The functions are intuitive to use; I didn’t even need to read the manual that came with it. I quickly got used to wearing it 24/7. I was able to monitor my health better and getting hourly notices to breathe or stand up helps too.

The notion of getting an Apple Watch for my oldest daughter was especially enticing around the holidays when the prices dropped by $80. Why deal with all the possible issues that might occur with other fitness trackers when I know the Apple watch works so well? Aside from a fitness tracker, it’s also a smartwatch. In the end though, I couldn’t justify sending her off to school with such an expensive item.

The Apple Watch Series 3 currently runs about $280 at Amazon.

I ended up replacing the lost Garmin Vivofit Jr 2 with the Garmin Vivosmart 3 for my oldest daughter. The Garmin Vivosmart 3 fits our needs quite well. My daughter likes the weather function and finds the other advanced features interesting such as the ability to monitor her heart rate during different activities. The larger screen is also a bonus.

Parenting is a huge and complex responsibility. As parents, it’s our responsibility to do our best for them now and ensure they have a bright future. While this is a small action in the greater scheme of things, I’m glad we got fitness trackers for both our daughters. As a family, we like to see who has the most steps after a day trip, thereby encouraging each other to reach our daily fitness goals. And the ability for young kids to include technology into their daily lives is tremendous. Especially with this improved understanding of time, they can manage their daily activities better and plan for the days to come. If you have kids and haven’t considered getting them a fitness tracker, there’s never been a better time to start!

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We found that drinking cold liquids from polycarbonate bottles for just one week increased urinary BPA levels by more than two-thirds. If you heat those bottles, as is the case with baby bottles, we would expect the levels to be considerably higher.

(via Trailspace)

The post New Study Links Higher BPA Levels to Drinking From Polycarbonate Water Bottles first appeared on All Climbing.

The Outdoor Parent is a collection of surfers, climbers and skiers who have embarked the greatest adventure — parenthood — and lived to tell about it. Stories, perspective and reflections on parenting, children and the outdoor lifestyle.

As I recently became a father, I expect I’ll be pouring over all these articles.

I suspect many of you are in the same position, so let me know if there are any other great resources out there like this one.

The post The Outdoor Parent Blog first appeared on All Climbing.

There’s been numerous articles recently written on the problems that have surfaced regarding Nalgene bottles. Since most climbers own one of these, I decided to look into what is actually going on.

I was in the REI in Bailey’s Crossroads, Virginia recently and I didn’t see a single Nalgene bottle on the shelves. A foreboding sign itself. There’s usually an entire row of shelving with the now ubiquitous bottles in all shapes and colors.

Following the move made by Canada’s MEC, REI has now pulled all Nalgene bottles from their shelves. Nalgene has announced that they will stop making bottles out of polycarbonate.

Polycarbonate contains a chemical called bisphenol A (BPA) which has been linked to numerous health problems including breast and prostate cancer, brain damage, endocrine system disruptions, higher levels of testosterone in men and women, recurrent miscarriages, and chromosomal defects in fetuses.

The National Geographic Adventure blog has some a few pointers on what to do now that you know the problem exists:

HOW DO I KNOW IF MY BOTTLE HAS BISPHENOL A IN IT?
Look on the bottom of the bottle for a number surrounded by three arrows. Polycarbonate bottles are categorized as number seven. Note that seven is the catchall “other” category for plastics—all polycarbonates are seven, not all sevens are polycarbonates.

WHERE DO I BUY A BPA-FREE BOTTLE?
REI has the new Tritan Camelbak bottles and BPA-free Nalgenes in all its stores. Elsewhere, stainless steel bottles from Guyot, Klean Kanteen, and Sigg are options, too.

WHAT ABOUT OTHER PLASTIC BOTTLES?
Nalgene’s old-school bottles, milky colored and soft-sided, are made of high-density polyethylene and free of BPA. Thin-walled, soft plastic bottles like Evian uses are plain old polyethylene.

It appears the key to finding out if your bottle is made of polycarbonate is to look for the number 7 on the bottom of each one. For a full listing of the seven types of plastics check out this chart.

Nalgene’s website has a section with all the relevant FDA and health data as well as their own FAQ on the issue. In addition, the company has set up a new site called Nalgene Choice that will help consumers pick new bottle from their product line.

And on a final note, Trailspace gives us some ways to reuse our old polycarbonate bottles.

The post Time to throw away your Nalgene bottles first appeared on All Climbing.

I was introduced to Nau by Andrew Hyde during my trip to Boulder in March. During a brief chat at the TechStars office, Andrew recommended I stop by the Nau store in Boulder before leaving. He praised the quality of their sustainable clothing and fact that the company was founded by former Patagonia employees. So I figured I should check them out.

I did manage to stop by Nau and was very impressed by their clothing. In particular I saw one fleece on the sale rack that had it been in my size I would have bought in a heartbeat. Some of their pants made for climbing or other outdoors activities were quite impressive. I made a mental note to come back and shop when I returned this summer to live in Boulder permanently.

So I was a bit shocked to see the news that Nau is closing. From their blog, Nau’s explanation for closing:

In the current highly risk-averse capital market, we simply could not raise the necessary funds to continue to move forward. We believe this is not so much a reflection of the viability of our business, but the result of an unfortunate confluence of events. Just as we could not have predicted the sudden groundswell of environmental consciousness that blossomed at the time we launched our business, we did not foresee the current crisis in the capital markets. At this time, investors are loath to invest in anything; especially, it appears, a company like Nau that has the audacity to challenge conventional paradigms of what a business should be.

It’s interesting to see how fast the market can change for any type for product. I’m personally in the process of closing down a company I founded three years ago, so I know first hand how this goes.

In the end, a good team of entrepreneurs will not be held down, so I look forward to the next great idea from the Nau founders and employees.

The post Outdoor clothing store Nau closes first appeared on All Climbing.

TreeHugger has an interesting interview with the founder of Patagonia, Yvon Chouinard.

The founder of Patagonia started out when he was little more than a teenager, selling his home-forged climbing hardware to â??dirtbaggerâ?? mountaineers like himself. Although all he really wanted to do was travel and climb, he had a knack for innovation and invention, and Chouinard Equipment Co. evolved into Patagonia, arguably the most successful outdoor clothing company in history. In his fifty-something years of experimentation, Yvon Chouinard has racked up a list of industry firsts that defies enumeration, yet he describes himself as a reluctant entrepreneur who really just loves to climb, surf, and kayak the wilds of the world, and hopefully save them along the way.

The interview is broken down into part 1 and part 2.

The post Yvon Chouinard interview on TreeHugger first appeared on All Climbing.

I’m starting off the new series with a blog that’s not quite pure climbing, but one from a company all climbers are familiar with – Patagonia.

The Cleanest Line is described by the company as a

weblog for the employees, friends and customers of the outdoor clothing company Patagonia.

The Cleanest Line has a heavy focus on environmental activism and outdoor activities. There’s little overt promotion of the company’s products on the site which is why I’ve included it in this series.

Also, check out a recent post their Dirtbag Grant Winners.

The post Climbing Blog Focus – Patagonia’s The Cleanest Line first appeared on All Climbing.