Encourage active children

Gone are the days when our parents were shouting at us from down the street to come in for dinner. Or maybe trying to convince us how unsafe it was to play street-cricket after dusk. It just doesn’t seem to be the same situation these days. Children and teenagers are now coming rushing in the door with a mobile phone stuck to one ear. Or perhaps they’re running to the computer to check their email messages. Oh, how times have changed!

It’s hard to deny there has been a decline in the amount of physical activity most children get on a daily basis. Television, electronic games and fast food have resulted in a growing number of weight-related issues amongst children. Illnesses or health issues once reserved for an adult population, such as high blood pressure or cholesterol and diabetes, are now presenting themselves in our children. As a parent it’s time to take charge of the situation by challenging our children physically.

Become more active yourself

Make it a priority to start being more active yourself. By doing so you are showing your child how important a healthy lifestyle is. Begin by working out on your own, be it at home or at the gym. After the routine has been set for physical fitness, start including some time to exercise with the children. This can be as simple as walking together for thirty minutes a day, or something more demanding. Throw a football around in the yard, or play a game of good old backyard cricket.

You could consider holding a family meeting to discuss why becoming physically fit is the new theme in the house. Have each child write down several different activities they enjoy. Aim for those activities which can be practised for thirty to forty-five minutes at a time. By adding them together in a bag or box you can have an instant supply of ideas to choose from. Each day a new person in the family gets to pick the activity. This can help prevent anyone getting bored or giving up on exercising all together.

Team sports

Another option for additional physical activity is organised sports. Whether indoors or out, organised sports permit for additional emphasis on teamwork. Challenging your child with team sport such as soccer or one on one sport such as tennis, for instance, allows them to get more physical activity into their time while working on socialization skills as well.

Community recreation centers often have activities and sports which are family-oriented, and possibly at a discounted rate if you are signing up multiple people at the same time. This can possibly make it a lot easier on some families as it permits everyone in the family to benefit from the physical challenge of sporting activities.

It really doesn’t matter what the activity is. What does matter is getting together as a family to start leading a healthier and happier life. You’ll be glad you made this choice as you start noticing how the members of your family accept these healthy challenges and changes.