How to get fit kids

The value of healthy activity as exercise

You have undoubtedly heard that childhood obesity is rapidly on the rise. It now outranks all other health problems as the number one concern for children in the United States. Obesity rates among ages 12 to 19 have more than tripled since 1980.¹ Equally disturbing is the fact that stress now ranks among the top ten child health problems in America. WOW!

I’d be willing to bet that the rise in childhood obesity and stress directly corresponds with three things: 1. The decline in physical activity−the once obligatory recess and P.E. class−in schools. 2. The invasion of technology. 3. Fast empty calories.  

Kids today are simply not moving like they used to. Of course neither are their sedentary parents. Elevators, escalators, computers, cable TVs, video games, cell phones, push button this and push button that−has produced kids that can navigate the internet with ease but can’t skip rope or do a chin-up to save their life!

Add to all that the fact that children today are eating three times the number of calories they actually need, and you can see why we’ve got an epidemic on our hands. Children should consume only around 1,300 calories a day, or about 430 calories per meal. But kiddie combos at the top fast-food chains far exceed that recommended limit. One meal from a popular fast food restaurant −chicken fingers, cinnamon apples and chocolate milk −delivers 1,020 calories. You can do the math from there.

Turning things around

I’m convinced that the only one’s capable of turning this obese-kids-cruise-ship around are the parents. A wise man said, “Parents often talk about the younger generation as if they didn’t have anything to do with it.” But we know better. And, it’s our responsibility. But before we coach our kids we best coach ourselves. As C.G. Jung said, “If there is anything that we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could better be changed in ourselves.”

Never forget that we are creatures of habit. “Don’t worry that children never listen to you, remarked  Robert Fulghum; worry that they are always watching you.” In other words, if you’re not watching what you eat or how much you exercise, you can be certain your child is. What a child observes he puts into practice. At least that’s what my wife told me when the children where all picking their nose in the back seat of the car.

A different generation

Don’t make the mistake of assuming that your children are getting enough exercise. Most are not. We reminisce, as parents, back to what it was like when we grew up, and figure the whole exercise thing will work itself out with our kids. But times have changed!

I can’t tell you how often I hear mom’s today say, “I just need some time alone, my kids are driving me nuts!” What a difference a half century makes. My mother’s biggest problem was that she could never find us. After walking or riding our bikes two miles home from school, I stormed through the house while removing my clothes, grabbed a snack (usually fresh fruit verses the kind you roll up), and hurried outside. I know, I was a bizarre little kid! Then I quickly found a friend, and spent every last ray of sunlight running, wrestling and playing.

Of course the difference for me growing up, from so many kids today, was that I lived on ten acres in the country, with nothing electronic to play with, and with neighbors who weren’t serial killers. Even if I did have permission to watch TV, which I didn’t, there was nothing on that trumped the fun to be had outside.  

For far too many kids today, especially in or near a city, their lives don’t remotely resemble my childhood experience. They’re lucky if they get any physical activity to speak of. They’re shuttled to and from school, and after already sitting for 6-7 hours, once home, they plop themselves down yet again to surf the internet. Later they move in front of the TV to eat their dinner−a pizza!

With all that said, I do not recommend trying to make your children exercise! Trying to convince kids to exercise is an exercise in futility. On the other hand, coming up with a physical activity that you and your children can participate in, and enjoy, is very doable.

How do I know? Because we did it. Admittedly, at first it seemed like an inconvenience to us as parents, after all, we were stuck in our habits too. But once we got over the cries of, “Oh please, you’ve gotta be kidding!”, we had such a great time they never wanted to stop. What did we do? What was this fun-for-all-activity that became so addicting? We drew big squares with big chalk on the driveway, and played four square with a big rubber ball−for hours. How great is that!

My point is simply this; getting kids fit is not complicated, and it certainly does not have to be expensive. I think Wii fitness is a great idea but I guarantee you’ll have more fun outside. After all, isn’t the idea to get the kids away from the TV?

Get out there!

Here are several things you can do to get fitter kids…

·  Do everything you can to get your children involved in sports.

·  Plan a time every weekend to take a hike as a family. Pick different interesting places in and around where you live that you’ve never visited before.

·  Since you can easily record favorite shows, make one night of the week a “no TV night”. Then use that time to do a healthy activity together.

·  For dinner, at least one night of the week, prepare a meal that consists of no processed food. Everything must be natural and fresh. Get the kids involved with the recipes.

·  When out together as a family, make a point of choosing the less sedentary option whenever possible. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, etc.

Finally, don’t be the parents that Edward, Duke of Windsor, observed when he said, “The thing that impresses me most about America is the way parents obey their children.” Remember, you’re the boss! They want you to take charge. You’re the only fitness coach your kids have right now. So pump up the  big rubber ball and go for it. Who knows, it may become a habit.

¹”Obesity Trends among U.S. Adults between 1985 and 2007″, CDC; “Overweight and Obesity: Economic Consequences,” CDC; Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, CDC; National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; “Kids’ Meals: Obesity on the Menu”, Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, Yale University; “Excess Deaths Associated with Underweight, Overweight, and Obesity.”