The Power of Play with Pat "The Play Lady" Rumbaugh (109)
When was the last time you took a moment to play? To really just do something fun, like when you were a kid? Perhaps it’s a game of hopscotch, or even just doing a puzzle, play really is important when it comes to your overall well being.
On today’s episode, I’m talking to Pat Rumbaugh, The Play Lady and executive director of Let's play America, all about how to incorporate more playful fun into your life and why it truly matters!
We discuss:
- The power of play and why it’s something to prioritize as we age.
- How play can increase physical movement and support a healthy lifestyle.
- When she started to notice play becoming less popular and what she did about it.
- The types of play you can start to incorporate right now.
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… and more!
Here are some highlights.
How Pat discovered the gap in sports and play.
“I was a physical education teacher and coach for years at the Washington International School, and I have two children, grown children now, and I observed that if children found an activity they loved, it didn't have to be a sport, I'm talking to an activity, and they have the opportunity to play it, they would wanna continue. It was fun, and a lot of times it was something they wanted to do with friends. But I also noticed that you would either play in a sport or activity six days a week or you weren't doing anything. You will maybe home on electronics. And so I said, something's happening. So I started researching it, and I discovered that since the 1980s, children have lost eight to 10 hours of free play time a week. And because of that, I said, I need to do something about it.”
Why balance is important.
“I hope that people don't jump back into signing up for an adult-led activity every day because frankly, I don't think you need it. I think you need time to be able to just totally relax and have your choice of play, and that's a very wide range. That could be reading a book that you enjoy or a comic book, or it could be writing in your journal. At the same time, you and I both really understand and get what it does for us when we physically move, and that's why coming from a physical educators background, I say to people, “You need to think about your body, you're gonna feel so much better if you regularly get physical activity.” I don't like to call it exercise or going to the gym, I like to call it an activity that you enjoy.”
Why team play is a great option.
“Being on a team is so wonderful because you can help your teammates in so many ways. One of the biggest ways you can help them is by giving positive feedback and really just being supportive. And of course, you can do that individually, track, swimming, singles tennis, etc, but it's just, it's remarkable by just some of the things you say and the attitude that you have, that brings out the play and the pleasure of it.”
Contact:
FB/IG/Twitter: @PatRumbaughPlay
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