healthykids
Children’s physical development
also determines which activities are
appropriate. Brehm notes how creating
Fitness is
structured exercise for young children
can result in negative attitudes toward
fitness. Instead, the emphasis should be
on unstructured play. Kids under 5 love
to play at the park and engage in games
of noncompetitive tag or playful snow-
ball jousts. Basic physical skills, such as
throwing, kicking and jumping are
good activities at this age.
Most kids won’t show an interest in
structured fitness or sports until the
sixth or seventh grade, and some never
do, Brehm continues. Children ages 5
to 8 can begin a team sport, as long as
by Catherine S. Gregory the focus is on fun, rather than winning.
This age group is more susceptible to
We may lead an active lifestyle—but what about our
injury as they develop physical coordi-
nation, so it’s vital to set boundaries.
kids? Startling statistics show that in the past 20
Once children reach middle school,
open doors for them to discover activi-
years, the number of overweight children has
ties of interest and encourage experi-
increased by more than 50 percent.
mentation. Team sports improve
physical coordination and endurance.
The whole family can play Frisbee,
A
ccording to the Centers for building strength and endurance and
walk, bike and skate together.
Disease Control and Prevention’s warding off illness and disease, such as
1999-2000 National Health and Type 2 diabetes, once an adult afflic-
Fun First, Progress Follows
Nutrition Examination Survey, fewer tion, now increasing among youth. Scott Cole, fitness expert and star of the
than one in four children get 20 min- Studies also show that physical well- best-selling video Abs of Steel, works as
utes of vigorous activity each day, and being is linked to increased academic a personal trainer for overweight kids.
almost half of young people ages 12 to performance. “I think kids need exer- He also travels with his Get Fit America
21 do not participate in any vigorous cise to focus, to prevent depression and program to schools, teaching T’ai chi
physical activity at all. feelings of stress,” Brehm observes. and yoga, aiming to build body aware-
The main culprit is a sedentary “They need it to stay healthy, both emo- ness and self-esteem in kids from
lifestyle. For most American children, tionally and physically.” kindergarten through sixth grade.
the average amount of energy con- So, how can parents encourage His approach to kids’ fitness is
sumed from food hasn’t changed over kids to get active? We can start by limit-
relaxed and intuitive. “My goal is to
the past two decades, but physical ing their exposure to electronic screens.
excite them by tapping into their inter-
activity has taken a nosedive. Experts The American Academy of Pediatrics
ests,” he says. “These kids have a
blame the drop in physical activity on recommends a maximum of two hours
chance to reverse the obesity trend. My
an obsession with the screen: Kids are a day. Focus instead on increasing
desire is to teach kids to make healthy
spending 25 hours or more per week in activity time.
choices for themselves, not to view fit-
front of television, video games and
Start ‘Em Young
ness as someone shaking their finger,
computers.
telling them they should do this.
“Kids actually burn fewer calories
One of the best activities going is exer-
I’m not a scale watcher,” Cole
watching television than they do just
cising together as a family. Parents’ atti-
remarks. “I think that puts pressure on
sitting still. It’s as though TV puts them
tudes and fitness choices play a role in
kids. Progress is a given if they’re stick-
into a hypometabolic state,” advises
piquing kids’ interest; the younger the
ing with it because they like it.”
Barbara Brehm, professor of exercise
child, the stronger the impression.
and sports studies at Smith College, in
“Start from day one,” says Brehm. “If Weights Debate
Northampton, Massachusetts.
you try to push fitness on a teenager,
The American Academy of Pediatrics
Meanwhile, budget cuts in schools
they may rebel and become sedentary,
recommends that weight training not be
have reduced or eliminated many phys-
so the trick is to figure out what activi-
undertaken until after puberty and
ical education programs.
ties the teens hate the least or enjoy the
when bone growth is complete.
Physical fitness is well known for
most and help to promote that.”
However, Brehm notes that she has
www.naturalawakenings-houston.com January 2009 35
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