Getting Kids Excited About Fitness!

We see it in the media frequently, stories that tell us that kids today are at risk. The obesity rate for youth is greater than it has ever been and just getting worse. How can we teach youth today how important fitness is for their health?

Kids today have more leisure time than ever before. It once was that all members of the family had to work for what they had. Kids worked gardens, tended animals, etc. The little luxuries we have today have made life easier, but it has also contributed to the rise in obesity of a generation.

There are so many television channels to select from, an endless number of video games to play, and hundreds of friends to chat with and text. Life has become wrapped around technology and the computer age has a handle on our kids.

But there are ways to get kids off the couch and moving. The first thing to do is turning off the television. I know some people won't want to do this, but so many families think the TV has to be on during every waking hour. They don't grasp the beauty of peace and quiet. If you shut off the TV, soon kids will wander off and find for other ways to occupy their time.

Get your kids involved in local children's sports. Many communities have soccer and baseball programs. Swimming classes may spark an interest in swimming competitively. Gymnastics and dance lessons are fun and rewarding. Children don't even realize they are getting fit!

Not all fitness for kids ideas needs to be competitive or costly. Take your kids for walks through your town or to the local park. If you are fortunate to live by a natural area, go for hikes and nature walks. Go on bike rides as a family or put up a basketball hoop in the driveway and play basketball.

You can find fun ways to stay fit with technology as well. A lot of new video games are interactive and get kids up off the couch and moving. The Nintendo Wii and Wii Fit are two examples of fun fitness video games. Nintendo has taken video games into a new arena by helping people get involved in games in a physical way. Hats off to Nintendo for giving us a way to enjoy fitness!

There are lots of choices for getting everyone in the family fit. Make fitness a priority and find ways to make it entertaining. Your family will be healthy and happy, who could want more than that?

Article written by Terra Hawkes: Terra is the mother of twin boys who she loves to take for walks in her BOB Jogging Stroller. Terra has researched double jogger strollers and shares her opinions on her website: www.doublebabyjoggingstroller.org.