5 great tricks to make sure your kids are getting what they need to be healthy.
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The sad truth about our future’s fitness is that they’re not getting fitter. In fact, in the last 10-12 years children from ages 12-15 have been losing their fitness levels by about 1% per year. The implications are astounding. If that trend continues, how will they feel at 40 or 50 or 80? If you think medical costs are high now, just wait until 80-90% of people are out of shape. The amount of heart disease, back pain, arthritis and all kinds of health problems will sky rocket.
A recent study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention showed that only 50.2% of boys and 33.8% of girls had “adequate levels of cardiorespiratory fitness” for their age. Ethnicity did not play a role nor did economic status. So money and family cannot buy you fitness. Nope, you’ll have to get it the old fashioned way, you’ll have to earn it.
The cause of this downfall is obvious. More and more kids have busier and busier parents or both parents are working. The easy solution is to give kids their iPad, tablet, iPhone or use a television as a baby sitter. There are theories that the increased academic demand on children is a contributor. Regardless of the cause, we need to keep our kids in shape. It will help them, but it also has the potential of bringing your family closer together.
Janet Fulton, an epidemiologist who oversaw the study says, “There’s strong evidence that cardiorespiratory fitness is one of the best indicators of lifelong health, reduced disease risk and greater longevity.” It seems we need to re-examine our priorities. Is it more important to work harder for the bigger house/car/vacation spot than to spend some time outdoors running around with our kids? On your death bed or theirs if it comes first, will you be thinking you should’ve worked more hours or spent more time with your children? I think we’re in a sad state of denial about what our future holds. We must bring back a long term vision of health and wellness. That starts in the home.
Solutions are everywhere around us. There are home workout videos like P90X, so if you have to be inside during cold winters there is still no excuse! Add these 5 things to help you, your family and your kids stay fit:
- Schedule 30-60 minutes everyday of physical activities. These can be working out at home, going for a bike ride, a hike, a swim, etc.
- Reduce leisure time in front of a screen. Homework is one thing, but exercise will help kids think better, so use activity as a warm up for their studies.
- Practice sports with your kids. Instead of dropping them off and going about your day, spend some time and make your kids feel like you’re involved. Kick the ball around with them, be their sports tutor.
- Keep an activity log on the refrigerator to instill accountability. Everyone is involved and excited about exercise.
- Take new adventures. If you live in a city, find a building with a lot of steps. If not, find a new trail and experience new environments. Kids get bored quickly, so keeping variety will help.
Good luck and let me know how it goes. Let’s change the status quo and get people living longer and happier.
Photo credit: Flickr.com/EvilErin