Obese Britain Summer 2015.pdf

Get your kids
off the couch
It’s time to get our tech savvy children to swap video games for sports
With the UK seeing a rapid rise in childhood obesity, it’s more important now than
ever to get our kids moving, but nowadays there are so many distractions around
such as television, internet and video games. Studies have shown that, as
well as educating children about food, just 30 minutes of exercise a day
can make all the difference to their health and well-being. If, like many
parents, you’re struggling to get them excited, here are a few simple
and effective things to try
SET AN EXAMPLE
Children often emulate the behaviour of their
parents, so if they see that you’re doing very
little in the way of exercise, then they’ll have no
desire to get active.
MAKE IT FUN
Kids need to learn from a young age that fitness
can be fun, so don’t limit yourself to traditional
sports such as jogging, they’re not adults, if
it’s not fun you’ll struggle to get them excited.
Take advantage of local spaces such as a trip
to the park. A game of ‘Stuck-in-the-mud’ will
guarantee a much more enthusiastic response.
Dancing is another fun and effective way to get
your children on their feet.
DITCH THE WHEELS
Do your best to walk wherever and whenever you
can. Even if it’s just 30 minutes of extra walking
a day, you’d be surprised how good it will do
both you and your little ones. You already do it,
so just do more of it!
MIX IT UP
By turning it into a boring routine, kids are
likely to lose interest. Introduce a new form
of exercise every week, but don’t make it a
chore, this will only make them more reluctant
to take part.
Photograph: iStock
54