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Fit for the Fun of It
Great Ways to Encourage Children to Exercise
By Katherine Bontrager
Finally, return meals to the dinner table and strive to have everyone eating together at home on a regular basis, Passehl says. Healthy eating – not to mention healthy family relationships – are best served when families gather together.
But of course, healthy eating is only one side of the equation. Exercise is equally important.
"Fit Kids encourages families to examine daily habits for everyone in the family, regardless of size," Passehl says. "We advise physical activity for at least 60 minutes per day for children and 30 to 45 minutes per day for adults. We also recommend that families monitor the use of 'screen time' (including television, computer, videos, video games) to the limit set by the American Academy of Pediatrics of less than two hours daily. Turn off the TV during meals and take the TV out of the bedroom."
Replacing sedentary activities with physical ones is key, Dr. Salerno says. Have children walk to school if the neighborhood allows it, go for a family walk after meals or throw the football around the backyard instead of watching a movie, she says.
"Find things the child likes to do," Tanner says. "No marathons are necessary. If it's dancing to a dance video, playing tennis, playing catch, swimming, joining a Karate class, rollerblading, whatever, the important thing is to find something that they like and will want to participate in."
Tanner also suggests purchasing a pedometer to measure the number of steps family members take in a given day. Encourage everyone to increase his or her number of steps by 500 steps a week. The ultimate goal is 10,000 steps a day. "This is something that keeps the child competing with himself or herself, and not others," she says. "The success and pride will help in lots of areas."
