Children's health (17)
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Fitness for kids: Getting your children off the couch
Children often have a natural tendency to play hard. Here's how to direct your child's energy into a lifelong love of physical activity.
By Mayo Clinic staffFor many children, biking to the playground and playing kickball in the backyard have given way to watching television, playing video games and spending hours online. But it's never too late to get your kids off the couch. Use these simple tips to give your kids a lifelong appreciation for activities that strengthen their bodies.
Set a good example
If you want active kids, be active yourself. Go for a brisk walk, ride your bike or spend some time gardening. Kids ages 6 to 17 years old need at least an hour a day of such moderate activities. Three or more days a week should be more vigorous activities such as those that include running or jumping rope. Adults need at least 2.5 hours a week of moderate intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous activities.
Invite your family to play catch or to join you on a walk. Talk about physical activity as an opportunity to take care of your body, rather than a punishment or a chore. Praise, reward and encourage activity. Set goals and have everyone track their activities and progress.
"A parent's active lifestyle is a powerful stimulus for a child," says Edward Laskowski, M.D., a specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation and co-director of the Sports Medicine Center at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. "You are a role model for your children; set a good example by making physical activity a priority in your life."
Limit screen time
A surefire way to increase your children's activity levels is to limit the number of hours they're allowed to watch television each day. You might limit screen time — including television, video games and computer time. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than one to two hours a day. To make it easier, don't put a television in your children's bedrooms, and keep the computer in a family area. Also consider limiting other sedentary activities, such as text messaging or chatting on the phone.
If your children play video games, opt for those that require movement. Activity-oriented video games — such as dance video games and video games that use a player's physical movements to control what happens on the screen — boost a child's calorie-burning power. In a Mayo Clinic study, kids who traded sedentary screen time for active screen time more than doubled their energy expenditure.
Next page(1 of 2)
- Exercise (physical activity) and children. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4596. Accessed Nov. 14, 2008.
- MyPyramid for kids. U.S. Department of Agriculture. http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/resources/mpk_tips.pdf. Accessed Nov. 14, 2008.
- 2008 physical activity guidelines for Americans: Be active your way - A fact sheet for adults. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. http://www.health.gov/paguidelines/pdf/fs_adult.pdf. Accessed Nov 13, 2008.
- 2008 physical activity guidelines for Americans. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. http://www.health.gov/paguidelines/guidelines/default.aspx. Accessed Nov 13, 2008.
- Laskowki ER (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Nov. 13, 2008.
- Klish WJ. Definition; epidemiology; and etiology of obesity in children and adolescents. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 17, 2008.
- Lanningham-Foster L., et al. Energy expenditure of sedentary screen time compared with active screen time for children. Pediatrics. 2006;118:e1831.
- Parenting corner Q&A: TV and your family. American Academy of Pediatrics. http://www.aap.org/publiced/BR_TV.htm. Accessed Nov. 14, 2008.
