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Let's Go Outside and Play!
Patti Gale
I absolutely love this time of year! Where I live, it's warm enough
for shorts, but not stifling hot yet, the flowers blooming, the
barbecue grill is fired up every night and it's time for outdoor
activities.
Little League, spring & summer soccer, swim lessons, dance lessons,
music lessons, etc. can keep kids very busy. Now, more than ever, it
is vitally important to keep children active as childhood obesity and
Type II diabetes are at alarming rates in our country. However,
making sure our children our physically active is very different than
making sure they are involved in activities.
Growing up as a child in the 1960's, we literally played outside all
day during the summer. The only time my mom saw us was for meals and
then bedtime. There were only three television stations, and it was
a treat to watch the "Wonderful World of Disney" on Sunday night. We
didn't have Game-Boy, Nintendo or Internet surfing.
Kids went outside to play, period. Mom cooked real meals and fast
food was unheard of. Also unheard of at that time was Type II
diabetes in children, eating disorders in young girls, ADHD, and
alarming rates of childhood obesity.
Times have obviously changed quite dramatically. We are now a nation
of overscheduled, over-stressed, fast food families with little or no
free time. Most children are in some kind of structured recreational
activity and even playgroups for little ones are organized.
According to *Family Life 1st, children's free time has decreased by
12 hours per week in the last 20 years. It reports that there is 25%
less playtime and 50% less unstructured outdoor activities.
What ever happened to just going outside to play?
We all want our children to be involved and be active and to "be the
best that they can be". But, there are some kids (and parents) that
can't handle these busy schedules and it is easy to become
overwhelmed.
How do we find a balance? Here are some tips that will help.
1. Evaluate the activity before committing to it and set
limits. What does your child enjoy the most and will be the most
rewarding? It's o.k. to say no to more activities than the child can
handle.
2. Be Creative. For example, if you have two kids taking dance
classes, try to schedule both in a class on the same day at the same
time. Also, children don't need to be involved in organized
activities year-round. The summer is a great time to let a kid be a
kid and to "just go outside and play."
3. Put family first. Before choosing activities, decide on
regular family-time rituals such as having dinner together. This
will make sure family time is part of your child's schedule and will
also eliminate eating fast food "on the go."
4. Limit the television, computer, Nintendo and other sedentary
activities that would prevent your child from being outside.
5. Participate in outdoor fun as a family. Can you go for a
walk or ride bikes around the neighborhood? Can you find a park in
your area that has something for all family members? Bring the
bikes, roller-blades, and a picnic lunch.
It is important for the future of our children that we start getting
back to basics. Children are such a wonderful gift, and we need to
re-evaluate our priorities to decide what is most important. Do we
want to continue the trend that has been taking place the last 20
years? I hope not. Let's start changing this right now.
Best of Health!
Patti Gale
About the author:
Patti Gale is an AFAA certified personal trainer and healthy
lifestyle Coach. She is empowering individuals to lead a lifestyle of
fitness, health and wellness. Her free, monthly newsletter is
available by email to: YourFitnessCoach@... |
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