Get ‘Em Up
Off the Couch
Ten ways exercise can rescue children from
a lifetime of fighting weight problems.
by Dr. Carolyn Ashworth
PARENTGUIDE
News May 2006
Are you going to the gym today, or will you
find some way to avoid it? Sometimes exercise
is just another chore, like picking up the
dry cleaning or taking out the trash. If that’s
how you feel, chances are your children are
reluctant to exercise, too.
Today, we are dealing with a worldwide epidemic
of childhood obesity spawned by unhealthy
eating habits, insufficient exercise and excessive
sedentary behavior. For parents of tweens
and early teens, this may be your last chance
to affect your child’s activity level.
Studies show that when teenagers enter high
school, most engage in no exercise at all
and don’t want to hear about it from
adults who fail to lead healthy lifestyles.
If, however, you are determined to get your
children up off the couch now, here are ten
important steps toward family fitness:
1 Start as a family and motivate each other.
Schedule a family meeting where you assign
each member a specific day of the week to
plan an engaging physical activity that everyone
can participate in together for at least 45
minutes. A scavenger hunt in the neighborhood,
shooting hoops in the park, riding bikes or
hiking a local nature trail can all be worthwhile
and pleasurable. Parents must participate
for their kids to be successful participants.
When it’s your kids’ turn to choose
an activity, follow their lead and I’ll
guarantee they will maintain their interest
and activity level.
2 Visit your pediatrician and start slowly.
Children of all ages need at least 30 minutes
of moderate activity each day, either at home,
in school, at the gym or outside. But before
you get inactive tweens and teens off the
couch, make an appointment with your pediatrician
for a complete physical exam. This is imperative
for overweight and obese kids. When it’s
time to exercise, introduce the routine slowly.
Start with two days a week and gradually increase
the number of days until your children exercise
every day.
3 Either join a health club or take it to
the streets. Don’t run out and buy an
expensive health club membership if you have
to drag your family to the club kicking and
screaming. A health club can offer a great
place to exercise, but you can also get physically
active by walking out your front door and
continuing to move.
Begin simply, with easy-to-do outside activities
like a good brisk walk or baseball game in
the park. Let your teens know that they can
earn the use of a health club based on the
enthusiasm they show for working out on their
own.
Move on your own whenever possible. Never
drive when it’s practical to walk. Little
bursts of energy can result in the maintenance
of a healthy body weight. I park my car far
away from the mall, walking as far as possible,
and my grown children now do the same.
5 Keep exercise fun. As kids move into the
tween stage, a world of structured team sports
takes the place of natural movement.
This is when parents should stress the importance
of exercise for the fun of it. Many kids quit
team sports because their parents take the
competition of sports too seriously. If your
children avoid competitive sports, help them
seek alternative forms of exercise, such as
dance classes or martial arts lessons. A lifetime
of health is worth far more than momentary
glory on the playing field.
6 Explore the many choices available to older
kids. Older children may exercise by themselves,
or with friends, at a local health club. Trendy
classes, such as Pilates, spinning or cycling,
are usually most appealing to teenagers. Step
aerobics, kick boxing and hip-hop dance classes
may be challenging, but with practice they
all can do wonders for teens’ coordination,
cardiovascular system, confidence and overall
health.
Look into other activities— indoor rock
climbing, rollerblading or playing golf (without
using a cart)— things that aren’t
“gym-like.” For contemplative
youngsters or those who resist team activities,
yoga is a smart alternative. Practicing yoga
can reduce anxiety, increase focus and help
teens relax from their busy schedules.
You can institute a reward system by giving
points for attending exercise classes. Your
children can accumulate points and use them
to earn computer time, sleepovers or music
downloads.
7 “Fool” them with TV and video
games. Can’t get your kid outside to
exercise? Place a stationary bicycle in front
of the television and give your tween the
goal of cycling nonstop through a favorite
half-hour program. If your child enjoys TV,
he or she will continue beyond 30 minutes
without knowing it.
Children can even integrate physical activity
with their video game systems. I recently
had a young patient whose workout routine
was a dance video game called Dance Dance
Revolution. The interactive game provides
a healthy cardiovascular workout right there
in the living room.
8 Bring exercise back to the schools. Remember
when children had physical education as a
daily class? Today, school boards cram as
much classroom time as possible into each
day, leaving little time to burn off excess
calories.
And offering physical activity in school only
gets more difficult as children get older.
Daily participation in high school physical
education classes decreased from 42 percent
of students in 1991 to 29 percent just eight
years later, so you can see the trend toward
sedentary behavior in school. You can help
reverse the trend toward obesity by speaking
out at school board meetings and organizing
other parents in support of physical education.
9Be patient with the process. Don’t
expect results overnight. It might take a
month or more for your children to embrace
an exercise regimen and begin to lose excess
weight. Praise their improvements. Their disposition
and outlook on life will also soon improve.
Studies find that in some young people who
are depressed because of their weight, exercise
can benefit them more than prescription medications
such as antidepressants.
Make a difference. Empowering your children
to stay physically fit is more than a lifestyle
choice. It’s a choice that may prolong
your child’s life. Studies indicate
that sedentary behavior may contribute to
making this generation the first to live shorter
and less healthy lives than their parents.
It’s not too dramatic to call this a
life-or-death situation. And as a parent,
you have the power to save those lives.
Dr. Carolyn Ashworth is a mother, a pediatrician
and a professor of clinical pediatrics. She
is an expert on the toxic nature of childhood
obesity. Her new book, Defeating the Child
Obesity Epidemic (PSG Books), is available
in bookstores, on Amazon.com or by calling
(800)888-4741.
