Exercise and Your Child: You Can Teach Your Child to Be More Physically Active

Childhood obesity is a major problem in today’s society. More and more children are being classified as not just heavy, but actually clinically obese. Obesity in children is a problem with many causes. Today’s food is not as healthy as it was ten or even twenty years ago. Sugary snacks are convenient and often cheaper than healthy alternatives. When your children are hungry, it is often easier to grab a snack cake than to sit down and cut some carrot sticks or something else that is a healthy alternative.

 

Nobody can deny the fact that obesity in children is an overwhelming issue in our culture today. Many factors contribute to recent reports of more and more children becoming obese. Much of the problem has to do with the sake of convenience and saving time. With readily available foods being filled with fat and sugar rather than nutritionally beneficial ingredients, children are being stuffed with things that are not good for their weight or their health. The fact that most unhealthy foods are less expensive than their healthier counterparts only adds to the quandary.

One of the major concerns in our culture is the rapidly rising weight of our nation’s children. For many, the problem has far surpassed the idea of being “cute and chubby” and has moved on to being morbidly obese. One only needs to look at the proliferation of fast food restaurants and other nutritionally empty foods that have become popular in recent years in order to realize their detriment to our children. With the busy lifestyles that parents lead, it is often easier to “stop and get something” rather than to come home and prepare a nutritionally well-balanced meal for the family.

Not only is food a problem that keeps our children overweight, but also our sedentary lifestyle is a major contributor to the childhood obesity epidemic. When we were children, we spent most of our time outside, playing kickball, hopscotch, and jumping rope. Today, children watch television, surf the Internet, and play video games. The rise in kidnappings is part of the reason that parents do not let their kids roam the neighborhoods the way they did as children. But, in keeping our children safe from predators by keeping them inside, we often put them in danger of health problems due to obesity. There is a way around this dilemma!

Food is not the only culprit when discussing the causes of childhood obesity. Many parents do not do enough to encourage their child to “go outside and play” or get involved in athletic activities. There are so many things to do inside the house while sitting in a big, comfortable chair that a child feels no need to move anymore than they have to. Naturally, your child’s safety does play a large part in their ability to roam around outside. But there are alternatives that provide avenues for both exercise and safety.

Lack of exercise among children is the cause for the obesity issue. Although there are safety precautions to consider when letting your child go outside to play, there are measures that parents can take to provide exercise for their kids. Rather than letting your child sit on the couch with a remote in their hand, concerned parents find school-sponsored activities and other avenues that their child can take that will incorporate activity into their lifestyle. Healthier eating and an active lifestyle take up lot of a parent’s time, but the health benefits that you child reaps will be well worth it.

There are several things that parents can do to encourage their children to become more active. The best way to encourage children to exercise is by example. When your children are babies, they should see you exercising, and making physical activity a normal and regular thing. As they grow up seeing you enjoying being active, they will learn that exercise and physical activity is fun and an important part of life.

Make exercise fun for your family. Think of things you can do together that encourage your children to get up and start moving! Install a basketball hoop in your driveway, and spend time shooting hoops with your kids. If your children enjoy riding a bike, take a ride as a family. If your child enjoys martial arts, then enroll him or her and a karate class. The key is to find something that inspires your child and encourage them to pursue that activity.

Another way to get your child moving even if the weather outside is not conducive to outside activities is through exercise videos. Find an exercise video or DVD that is aimed at children, and do the routine with your children. Not only will your children be healthier, but you just might loose a few pounds as well! Again, keep it fun! Laugh at the mistakes that you make, and stay upbeat!

Keep in mind that all children are different. Your child may or may not be athletic. Do not try to make your child into the next champion if they cannot make a basket to save their life. Becoming a successful athlete is not the important issue when teaching your child to exercise. The important thing you are teaching your children is the lifetime habit of making exercise an enjoyable, and important, part of their life. Make it fun, exciting, and vary the activities you do. You will be teaching your child how to become a happy, healthy adult!

Of course, not every child has a proclivity to be athletic. Forcing your clumsy child into a school sport is not always the answer to their sedentary lifestyle and can sometimes serve to only create more problems. Teaching your child the importance of daily activities along with ways to enjoy those activities will help to set them up for a lifetime of beneficial exercise. This is an idea that your child will continue to adhere to even into adulthood.

Not all children are good in sports. If you child does not have an affection toward any sport, do not force them into physical activities. Sports are an important factor when teaching your child about exercise. The importance of finding fun activities that your child will look forward to doing should be a parent’s priority in order to reduce the child’s inactive habits. Helping them to see that exercise is not a mundane, boring part of life but rather a fun and exciting idea will help ensure that your child will take these ideas with them as they grow into healthy adults.

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