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Family Ties: School Is Back In – And Physical Fitness Is Too
By Dr. Michael Crovetti
With summer vacation already behind us, our children are preparing to hit the books for the new school year. We all know what that means; more work, less play. But just because leisure time is shortened, that doesn’t mean keeping our children active and fit should take a back burner to studies. To the contrary, staying active throughout the year helps children maintain a healthy lifestyle and positive mental attitude while warding off the dangerous epidemic of childhood obesity.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children and adolescents should stay physically activefor at least 60 minutes per day, but not necessarily all at the same time. While adults have the capacity to grind out an hour of structured, programmed exercise like aerobics or circuit training, children and some teenagers need more flexibility to keep their interest. For that reason, it’s advisable to break the 60 minutes of activity up throughout the day. Adding variety and, most of all, fun will help out as well.
The Daily Dose
Fortunately, most Clark County schools still hold recess and P.E. class during the day for a quick boost of energy. Keep in mind, however, if P.E. class is 50 minutes, and your child spends 20 minutes of that time dressing in and out for the class, they still have another 30 minutes of activity left before they meet the requirement. Try the following tips to keep your children fit as fiddles during the school year.
Give them a choice and offer encouragement. One of the biggest obstacles to staying fit is staying motivated, and children are more likely to engage in activities they enjoy, rather than the ones they feel pushed into participating in by a parental figure. Discuss activities, games and sports your children have an interest in and actively encourage their participation.
Encourage free play. An hour at the nearby park, a bike ride around the neighborhood, a dip in the swimming pool or just simple outdoor free play are all ideal, unstructured forms of exercise that will keep your children entertained while they stay fit.
Get into the youth sports action. Along with the obvious physical benefits, organized team or individual sports are a great way to teach your child teamwork, discipline, self-confidence and social skills.
Take family walks. Why not make fitness a group thing? Taking walks before or after dinner is an easy and enjoyable way to promote activity among the entire family. It’s also a great way to spend some time together catching up on the day’s events.
Play active video games. Video games like Wii Fit and Just Dance can give your child the best of both worlds–a couple hours in front of the TV and a heart-pumping workout. They’ll be having so much fun playing, swinging and moving they won’t even realize they’re getting exercise.
Make chores part of the routine. Chores are a bore, but they’re physical. Even if your child doesn’t always have the opportunity to play, they can still burn calories doing good old-fashioned housework. Chores like vacuuming, taking out the trash, raking leaves in the backyard, cleaning their room, etc. all count toward the 60-minute-per-day requirement.
Don’t take shortcuts. Elevator and car rides? Who needs ‘em? Just as it’s recommended to adults, encourage your children to take the stairs instead of the elevator and walk or ride their bikes short distances to the store or to a friend’s house. (This has the added bonus of saving you gas money!)
In the race to get through homework, dinner and family time to bedtime, sometimes it’s easy to overlook one of the most important ingredients to healthy living. Take time to encourage activity and have fun while you’re at it! Just 60 minutes a day can lead to a lifetime of good habits and excellent well-being.
Dr. Michael Crovetti is a board certified Orthopedic Surgeon who specializes in sports medicine and joint replacement surgery. He is the Founder and Medical Director of Crovetti Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, Coronado Surgery Center and the Coronado Surgical Recovery Suites. To learn more, go to www.crovettiortho.com.
