Creating Fit Kids

Here's the scene: Mom has returned home from a vigorous training session at the gym. After showering and changing into lounging clothes, she prepares her dinner of a palm-sized skinless baked chicken breast and green salad. The kids, on the other hand, who've been watching T.V. and playing video games while mom was at the gym, feast on some quickly prepared processed chicken nuggets and french fries, drinking Kool-Aid.

What's wrong with this picture? Everything.

Clearly, mom is handling her fitness business--working out, eating right. But what about the kids? If things continue along that path, these same kids will grow to be unhealthy and unfit adults. And it's mom (and dads), especially those making strides to get their ownselves together, job to guide their kids to health and fitness.

Sure, leading by example will yield long-term benefits as children do learn from observing. However, the here and now is just as, if not, important. Last I checked, the rate for childhood obesity has not decreased in the least bit. Even if your child isn't apart of the epidemic of chld obesity, teaching them early on about health and fitness will ensure they stay that way.

Believe it or not, it's not hard to incorporate your children into your workout routine. It doesn't have to be anything rigorous, like waking the kids up at 5 A.M., making the poor babies do boot camp drills! Simply get them busy somewhere in your schedule. For example, you plan to work out five days a week. On your cardio days, try skipping the gym and taking the kids to a playground or park that, perhaps, has a track that you can run/walk your laps. This is especially easy to do during the spring and summer months. Another option for family cardio fun is playing outdoor games like tennis, badminton, relay races (think parents against kids, females against males, etc).

If you think that sounds easy enough, changing the eating habits of children is even easier. Simply put, they eat what you eat. They eat when you eat. If you've adopted a "no meat" policy in your diet because of the digestion concerns of meat products, why allow your children to partake in it? If you cut off your eating four hours before you go to sleep, why allow your children to eat until they go to sleep. The fact that children have high metabolisms isn't reason enough to allow them to engage in eating habits that we've learned are counterproductive because how children eat as children, they take with them to adulthood until they learn better on their own. Why not teach them now?

I only caution those who participate in fad diets--Atkins, South Beach, etc). If you're on that kick, don't introduce your children to that. Only teach, at the bare minimum, the underlying basis of the diets. Children need to learn how to eat correctly as opposed to the quick fix solutions that fad diets provide.

So as you're running, lunging, bicep curling, and bench pressing your way into a musclebound haven or sleek, feminine-fit beauty don't forget to get your kids on the right track so they'll know early on what you probably had to teach yourself.

@ 2008 by LA Jefferson