Pump Iron, Baby

Here’s another news story that really cracked me up. Add some extra poundage to kids’ toys so they can burn a few more calories during their sedentary play time? Yikes. I wouldn’t buy weighted blocks for fear that one child might bean the other over the head with one.

Childhood obesity is on the rise. Some blame it on the idea that it’s not as safe as once was to let your child run around the neighborhood from dawn to dusk. Others blame it on children spending more time with tech gadgets. Still others blame the school system: Some schools are tossing out recess and phys ed classes in favor of more academics (thanks to the No Child Left Behind agenda). I think it’s the parents who are really to blame.

We don’t live in a “neighborhood” and my kids don’t spend the majority of the day riding bikes or running around in the woods like I did when I was a kid. We’re big “screen” fans, too - we enjoy a good amount of time with TV, video games and computers. But I have found lots of ways to keep them active. My son loves to play imagination games. You’ll often find us having light saber duels, playing Godzilla, or pretending he’s an exercise instructor and I’m the student. Then there’s parks and swimming and skiing and baseball and other sports. PHAT Daddy and I go to the gym and talk often about the importance of fitness. We put a checkmark on our “chart of healthy habits” every day that we exercise.

Most kids love to be active. If you set a good example and find an activity that’s motivating for the child, it shouldn’t be hard to raise the interest of even the biggest couch potato. And once they get started, the endorphins kick in and they’ll probably find it’s actually fun!