A Family Can Play at That Game

Written by Kelly S. Preston

This article is courtesy of HomeLife.

Remember when you were a kid, and you couldn’t wait to get home from school so you could play outside with your friends? You’d spend hours playing hopscotch, hide-and-seek, or tag. Then you’d go inside for dinner, breathing heavily and sweating. Guess what? You’d had a great workout while playing!

 Unfortunately, most of America’s children and adults are not getting that type of activity throughout their days today. There is good news, though. You and your children can have fun and develop and maintain an active lifestyle at the same time through play.

The Power of Play
The statistics are staggering. Over the past 20 years, the number of overweight children and adolescents in America has almost tripled. In like manner, nearly two-thirds of American adults are overweight, and almost one-third is obese. Research has shown that inactive lifestyles are a direct cause of why so many people in our society are gaining weight and losing their health.

Sammi Goldstone, a certified health fitness instructor, is the Youth Development Coordinator for NIFS, the National Institute for Fitness and Sport (www.nifs.org). NIFS sees 20,000 children and adolescents, many of whom are overweight from inactive lifestyles, annually in their youth field trip programs. Goldstone says that many of these children learn unhealthy behaviors from their parents who aren’t leading active lifestyles themselves. “If parents participate in physical activities, kids will want to take part, too,” Goldstone says.

There’s much to be gained from developing and maintaining an active lifestyle. You can prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease; increase a child’s self-esteem and capacity for learning; reduce and handle stress; lose or maintain weight; and build and maintain healthy bones and muscle. The key is to start early because children and adolescents who are physically active are more likely to remain active as adults. So what are you waiting for?

Seven Playful Ideas
There’s no better way to be physically active than to do it as a family. Enjoy your time together and increase your family’s level of fitness by trying some of the following ideas for active fun:

1. Make the most of the seasons. In the fall, take in the beauty of the changing colors by hiking through the woods, raking the leaves, or picking apples in an orchard. In the winter, build a snowman, shovel the snow, or go sledding or ice-skating. In the spring, go canoeing, fly a kite, or plant flowers in your garden. In the summer, run through a sprinkler, go swimming, or ride bikes through your neighborhood.

2. Rediscover your childhood games. Teach your kids some of the games you played as a child — badminton, croquet, whiffle ball, four square, kick the can, or freeze tag.

3. Walk and talk. Walking after dinner as a family is a great way to spend time communicating with one another while burning calories and increasing everyone’s level of fitness.

4. Create an obstacle course. Obstacle courses provide cardiovascular training as well as skill development in children. Be creative — include obstacles to go under, over, through, around, inside, and outside. Goldstone encourages parents of toddlers to have them crawl through large items like boxes or hula-hoops and to roll balls. “These particular activities help increase hand-eye coordination and physical fitness.”

5. Jump for it. “Jumping rope is a great cardiovascular activity and a huge confidence builder for children,” Goldstone says. It’s a cheap, easy way to build both stamina and coordination. Double dutch, anyone?

6. Play in public. Take advantage of your community “fitness centers” like the bowling alley, roller skating rink, and laser tag. With all the fun your family will be having, they’ll never notice they’re exercising, too. 

7. Turn off the television. “There’s a direct correlation between the amount of time children spend watching TV and their weight,” Goldstone says. Limiting children to no more than two hours per day of total media time (television, computer, video games) can help decrease their risk for being overweight and frees up more time for active fun. And once again, parents need to be the role models.

Having Fun Yet?
Exercise doesn’t have to be all sweat and tears. In fact, it’s important that you teach your kids just the opposite. With a little planning, some creativity, and a whole lot of fun, your family can develop and maintain a healthy and active lifestyle. So get your family off the sidelines and into a game.

Kelly S. Preston, RN, MSN, serves as a consultant for health promotion and health ministry initiatives for various organizations and companies. She lives with her husband, Jason, in Lebanon, Ohio.

 

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