When is the best time to initiate children to exercise? The fact is that by the time children begin childhood, they have already been exercising for the better part of a year. Raising head, turning, sitting, crawling, then walking. Before you know it, they’re running around the house like football players with too much Gatorade.

The problem is not what happens when they are 16 months old. This is what happens when they are 16 years old. A typical teenager may wake up and then spend the rest of the day sitting down. They sit on the bus to school, they sit in class, they sit in the lunchroom, they sit on the bus on the way home, they sit in front of the television, they sit in front of the computer, and if you’re really lucky, They will sit on the couch and tell you how their day went. Although unhealthy eating is definitely part of the reason young Americans are overweight, a lack of daily exercise is the main culprit.

What changes between the preschooler who wants to run all day and the teenager who would rather throw up than play a game of basketball in physical education? I would venture to say that it is the lack of good role models during those intervening years. If you want your children to grow up healthy and active, you have to set a healthy and active example. “Do what I say and not what I do” is the # 1 path to failure. In the end, as much as it hurts to hear it, most children will follow in their parents’ footsteps, so we need to show them how to live the right way.

The good news is, it’s easy to exercise, and it’s easy to hook your kids, too. My wife Alison and I exercise with our 2 year old girls, Ainsley and Sierra, almost daily. Ali takes them with her to a “Baby Bootcamp” class designed for moms who want to get back in shape after pregnancy. On days off, he makes Pilates videos at home where our twins can watch and imitate them. I also do calisthenics with the girls in the living room and playroom, and in warmer months we take a daily multi-generational afternoon walk with the girls’ great-grandmother.

Because of this, our daughters have already learned that exercise is a normal and fun part of the day, and they do it now without any suggestions from us. They will be playing in their room, and then we hear one of them yell, “Exercise, exercise!” Take a look around their room and you’ll see them doing their own little versions of pushups, crunches, squats, and jumps, giggling as they go. They mimic what they see and turn jump ropes into resistance bands for miniature tricep curls, while the steps make a great place to practice calf raises.

Even more fun are on Saturdays when we go hiking together as a family. They are still too young to walk very far on their own two feet (although they insist sometimes), but they have already developed an affection for being in nature. Every rock, tree, and stream is interesting to them, much more than all the flashing lights and loud noises found at the local Chuck E Cheese.

By cultivating their interest in the outdoors, we increase the odds that they will want to spend their weekends there, rather than sitting on the couch watching reruns of Beverly Hills 90210. Now, what could be more rewarding as a parent than that? ?

So if you want your child to grow up healthy and active, don’t just send him to soccer practice. Put your own legs in motion and show them that this is how adults should live too, not just children. Set a good example now and your children will naturally follow.

——————————-

Copyright, Paul Martin, Noss Galen Baby LLC 2006

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *