Today’s children tend to be grossly overweight in many areas. While steps are being made to prevent this epidemic from continuing, the real battle is on the home front. If you can give your kids healthy, low-fat meals and get them to exercise, you shouldn’t have any problems with overweight youngsters. The big problem is how to get them moving.
Kids love to play and if you can have them play active games, they will automatically exercise! There is no need to force pushups and squats on your children, they don’t need to follow a typical adult workout routine (although many kids enjoy dancing along with exercise dance videos). Just being outside, running around the back yard is perfect for them.
If you don’t have a good yard to play in, you can make a point of taking the kids to a nearby park or playground. The toys on a playground are built for exercise and your kids will automatically start climbing and running and sliding when they have the opportunity. However, even in the absence of cool playground equipment, there are a few ways to encourage exercise and active movement.
Balls are the perfect prop for getting kids to exercise. They can throw it, kick it, and bounce it, whatever they wish. And you need no other equipment. Kids can easily make up their own games or set up goals, marked by rocks or jackets and play their very own version of soccer. Smaller children will simply enjoy running after the ball as it rolls away!
If there are hills near where you live, introduce your children to the joys of rolling down a hill. You remember the game, you lay flat at the top of a hill and then start to roll down it. At first, you need to push yourself over, but if the hill is steep enough, you just pick up speed and tumble over and over down the hill. It is wonderful fun, but the exercise part comes when the kids have to climb back up the hill again to try again.
If you have three or more children together, organize a game of tag. This gets everyone running around and laughing and is a great hit among younger kids. There are other versions of tag as well, including freeze tag and TV tag. See if your children can’t come up with more ideas.
A dog offers endless possibilities for adding exercise to your daily routine. While you shouldn’t get a puppy for that reason alone, it is certainly a big help. The whole family can participate in walking the dog around the block, plus children will enjoy playing and rolling around on the floor with their new pet, all great forms of exercise.
Kids these days don’t get enough exercise and the best way to motivate them to move is to set a good example. If you are constantly on the move, walking and exercising from the time the kids are small, you shouldn’t have a problem. The trouble begins when kids are allowed to sit on the couch and watch TV all day!
