GET YOUR KIDS MOVING
These days kids are glued to their phones, tablets and other electronic devices, a whole day goes by with little to no physical activity. This problem has gotten worse over the years, I remember when I was growing up; my mom had to take me away from the television kicking, screaming and crying but now technology and electronic devices have gone to the next level, causing childhood obesity to be at its highest rate ever!!!
Something must be done, we must save our children from a life of pain and high risk health problems.
You might be wondering how on earth am I suppose to do that? Well, you came to the right place! The author Laura McDonald has three children of her own, is married and lives in one of the most hectic cities in the world, the great New York City. She believes that no one has to stay or feel stuck in the same place they’ve always been, and she works very hard in searching and finding new ways to inspire and motivate her clients and followers. She uses a lot of her own techniques on her kids and finds the results to be outstanding. The article below will better help you understand how to get your kids moving.
When I was a kid we were usually outside all day, biking, swimming, playing games, running behind the mosquito truck as it pumped chemicals into our lungs and the air. (That’s just what you did back then, who knew?) Life has changed drastically since the 60’s and 70’s. Much of America’s farmland has become parking lots while fresh foods are less available and more expensive and the creation of processed foods offer cheap, quick, easy meals. Television now dominates the “quality” time families spend together. Computers and social networking can eat up to 7 hours a day!
As awesome as technology is, our children are paying heavily (yes, a pun) for these modern conveniences. Inside passive entertainment combined with high calorie, chemical laden, fast foods are contributing to an all out epidemic. Childhood obesity in America has doubled in children and tripled in adolescents over the past 30 years.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: In 2010, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese. These children also have all the risk factors that adult obesity brings:
Heart disease
Diabetes
High cholesterol
High blood pressure
Higher risk of cancer
Bone and Joint issues
They are also more likely to become obese adults with potential social and psychological problems leading to depression and low self-esteem.
Here are 6 fun ideas to get your family moving, get healthier, and create a stronger bond. Make them your own by using your imagination and adding activities you like.
Create An Obstacle Course
Involve the whole gang to set up indoors or out. Make up little signs for what to do at each “station”. Use your imagination!
Jump or skip 10 times with a jump rope
Use a ladder flat on the ground to run through like the football players
Do ten push-ups
Crawl under a table or broom hung between 2 chairs
Throw bean bags into a bucket or laundry basket
Draw a trail of circles (or other shapes) on the ground with chalk and HOP from one to the next
Crawl under or over a row of chairs
Do ten jumping jacks
Jump on one leg from point A to point B
Step over an obstacle such as yardstick between 2 chairs at knee height
Set Up A Relay Race
Get some friends involved, divide into teams and have some fun while you’re exercising
Carry an object on a spoon (hard boiled egg, water balloon outdoors, small ball indoors)
Run while balancing a beanbag on your head
Carry and pass off a baton or similar object
Carry a dixie cup full of water without spilling it
A potato sack race is always a blast (use heavy duty garbage bags if you don’t have any potato sacks laying around)
Three-legged race (Two people standing side by side have their inner legs tied together
Go For A Hike
Get outside and explore. Chances are there are trails, a park or some other area not too far from home. Get everyone involved in planning your adventure. Print out a map, pack some healthy snacks and water, and hit the trails.
Plan A Healthy Picnic
This is classic family fun and everyone can get involved. Share in creating the menu, shopping for the food at a local market, preparing and packing up the essentials for a fun picnic (blanket, basket, cooler, etc.) Bring along a ball or Frisbee for extra fun and activity.
Scavenger Hunt
This one is great inside on a rainy day. Hide objects all over and write up simple clues. It’s really fun if you have each team create the hunt for the other team. Everyone is involved in the creative process as well.
Hop Dots
Put dots on the ground or use hula hoops or string formed into a circle and have them hop from dot to dot picking up a few things along the way. Whoever picks up everything and gets to the finish line wins!
Go On A Biking Adventure
If you don’t own bikes it’s worth renting them for a few hours. We live in New York City and don’t have space for our own bikes. Some of our best family outings have been renting bikes for a few hours and exploring the city. It’s fabulous recreation and quality time spent together in the fresh air. And I love that we’re all off our computers for a bit!
Sure, it takes some effort to organize activities for the kids and the family, but the reward is well worth it. Not only are you reaping healthy benefits, you’re also setting an example for your kids that is invaluable, and the quality time will become memories you and your kids will cherish forever.
Laura McDonald is a busy mother of three, a musician, writer, foodie, an ACE certified Personal Trainer and Holistic Health Coach in NYC. She loves training her clients outdoors, writing rock songs, working on her yoga skills and creating recipes full of love. Her successful Slim Down programs are now available on her web-site and her unique fitness program has been featured on NBC. Laura is on a mission to help busy men and women of all ages create a leaner, sexier, stronger, body and mind. Visit her website here.
