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Home › Articles › Family › Making Fitness a Family Issue

Making Fitness a Family Issue

Setting You and Your Children on the Path to Health

By Virginia Gilbert

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Why Getting Fit Is a Family Affair
According to Family Fitness Matters founder Mary Jean Taylor, overweight parents tend to have overweight children. What's more, children commonly model the exercise patterns of the mother. What better reason could a mom have to shape up than setting her child on the right track early in life?

Taylor says her program is unique because it empowers both the child and the parents; a weight control program that enlists only the child won't work.

"Parents have to be involved and supportive so they can carry through with the program at home, not just on days when they come to our facility," Taylor says.

Taylor and her staff stress the importance of boosting a child's self-esteem. Nagging a preteen about losing weight is one of the worst things family members can do; no child will respond favorably to negativity. If, for instance, Taylor sees a thin child tease her overweight sibling, Taylor will take the critical child aside and explain that this negative behavior is unacceptable. Taylor urges parents to lay these ground rules for family interaction in their own homes.

"You can't control teasing that goes on at school, but you can control what goes on at home," she says. 

Another benefit of Family Fitness Matters is the informal group support. Parents and kids exercise together, swap tips and cheer each other on. "They learn [getting fit is] not just an issue they have, but that lots of families are struggling with this," Taylor says.


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