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Skip Exercise! Get Your Family UP, OUT and PLAYING Linda T Gottlieb. MA


As an adult, you know it’s important to be active every day and


may event struggle to fit fitness into your increasingly hectic sched- ule. If you have kids you’re probably very sensitive to how much has changed since you were young, when spirited recess, riding a bicycle and walking to school were normal daily activities. Who needed to think about exercise? But today, with seemingly endless digital dis- tractions and increasingly sedentary activities, many kids are simply the small fry version of the adult couch potato. “Exercise” can seem like a painful punishment for a chubby


child; so far removed from the exhilarating pleasures of “play”. And, if your grade schooler does well in class, isn’t it tempting to offer cookies, candy or ice cream as a reward? As a society, weight gain and deconditioned bodies are becoming the norm. The challenge: turning daily physical activity into a healthy habit that feels good for the entire family; a celebration of joyous movement vs. another chore on the to-do list. Do you have fond memories of spending your childhood sum-


mers at camp?Whether it was a sleep away or day camp, academic or adventure, religious or arts and crafts, the memories linger long after the campfire has been put out, and the last ‘smores enjoyed.Why only reserve that summer camp experience for your kids? Don Siegel, chairman of the department of exercise and sports


studies at Smith College, NorthamptonMA, has witnessed a surge of adult campers as more and more adults are seeking a ‘getaway’ break from pressures of their daily lives. What were once labeled health and nutrition clinics at the col-


lege are now billed asAdult Sports and Fitness Camps. These camps, located throughout the country, encourage physical activity, sports and even dream challenges like extreme skateboarding, rock climb- ing, and trapeze flying. Siegel calls this trend “life lived as play”. While recharging your batteries, you are also acting as a great role model for your children, demonstrating the important benefits of self care.


Since your childhood experiences may have been more tactile


than virtual, more hands on than mouse or keyboard centric and more physical than latchkey shut in, ask yourself this…do your kids suffer from Nature Deficit Disorder?, a term coined by Richard Louv in his book Last Child in the Woods. Louv spent 10 years traveling the country speaking to parents and children, in both rural and urban areas about their personal experiences with nature. He reports that kids today are woefully limited in their relationship with the outside world. Louv writes that in the past 30 years children of the digital age


have become increasingly alienated from the natural world, with dis- astrous implications, not only for their physical fitness, but also for their long-term mental and spiritual heath. He even goes so far as to argue that media attention to criminal activity, sexual predators, traf- fic accidents and all sorts of diseases have literally “scared children straight out of the woods and fields”. The results of this disconnect with nature can be seen in increased stress, decreased quality sleep, and an epidemic in childhood obesity. Even the term NDD is aligned with ADHD by design to attract


attention, although Louv makes it clear that it is certainly not a clini- cal diagnosis of any medical disease. A kids world in the 60’s was filled with neighborhood roaming


with friends, independence and the spirit of dis- covery within their surroundings, full freedom to interact with nature within a framework of parental companionship. Do you remember feel- ing at home during long walks in the woods, tend- ing a garden or mowing the lawn? Today, play itself, for some, has been discounted, replaced with


“enrichment” activities: structured lessons or academic events, leav- ing a lazy afternoon of playing in the backyard chalked up to “wast- ed time”. The essential thing is to realize we can do something about it,


and NOWis the time. All you really have to do is get you and your family up off the


couch and out in nature once and awhile to allow your natural self- confidence to resurface. This “playtime” can actually strengthen your family bond and be


fun for both children and parents. If you can’t see your family packing bags, donning a camp tee


or participating in archery, why not create your own family camp experience in your backyard, Neighborhood Park, or local beach? All it takes is a little time to organize your custom camp experience, plan the date and the “events”. Ask your kids to help plan in lieu of their normal kitchen chores; they might surprise you! Have cabin fever and need to break the family out of the house


right now? Visit www.trails.com and learn about area trails offering hikes, many under 5 miles each, more comfortable for little legs and those new to outdoor activity. Your


local Sierra club


www.sierraclub.com can also offer other outdoor fun. Visit local farms throughout the year where you can pick your own fruit, veg- etable plants or Christmas tree. A walk through a cemetery can be a history lesson, and flying a kite an exercise in aerodynamics. Be cre- ative, it’s your recess! Here are three rules for making family fitness fun for everyone: 1. Practice what you preach- Show your family how important


play time is for you, too by leaving the cell phone home when out enjoying time with family. How about discovering where the stairs are in the mall and take them, or jumping in the waves or flying a kite at the beach? 2. Enjoy your active moments and talk about them – after a


Sunday hike or sunset stroll at the park, ask the kids to describe what they liked the best, how they feel (energy level,mood, breathing), and share your positive thoughts with them, too.Moving your body is the fastest way to improve disposition, sleep and attention span. 3. Praise the intention, not the result-Are you or the kids new at


fishing? Celebrate the effort, even if you spend all morning picking fishing line out of the trees. Next timemaybe your daughter will catch her first fish (which she can proudly release). Whatever you choose to do, keep in mind you are the role


model; your actions closely observed and mirrored. You carry the responsibility for molding your children’s memories and you can cre- ate a legacy of lifelong physical activity for yourself, your children and their children.Why not invite playtime in today?


Linda T. Gottlieb is a nationally certified personal trainer,


active lifestyle coach and cancer exercise trainer. Linda can be reached at 203-877-5270 • www.FitTraining.net


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