Kids and Exercise: Kids Corner

Aired on Lifetime Television
Sunday, February 19 and April 16, 2006
Show 307

Do you feel your kids are so glued to the TV that they can see right through you? Our nation of couch potatoes is producing a generation of tater tots. And with childhood obesity on the rise, we need to get our kids off the couch. For kids, exercise does not have to be carefully planned. It should happen naturally through play making it fun and rewarding. Experts say TV plays a role in one-eighth of all kids being obese. And when the Centers for Disease Control says the number of overweight kids has tripled since 1980, you know it is time to grab the remote and get moving. If you are just easing your children into exercise, you can disguise your motivation. They will never think active outings like trips to the zoo, a museum, theme park or picnics are exercise. You can also involve them in your active hobbies, like gardening or bird watching. Playing around in the pool at the local YMCA is great exercise too. By the time they are toddling, allow your children to explore the world. Work on skills like throwing, kicking, and jumping. Let them have fun and they will get better over time. And when team sports are offered, make sure they play something they like to play and do not feel pressured to win. Make sure you match up the sport with the child's physical and emotional development. It is not calendar age. Remember children, teens and adults need about 30-minutes of moderate activity a day. But about a quarter of those between the ages of 12 and 21 are getting no vigorous exercise at all. This alone ought to keep you from growing roots on a sofa.