(Active, Healthy Kids Part 2 by Colin Thomas, pediatric registered nurse practitioner at Keystone Pediatrics, first appeared in a June 2014 edition of the Public Opinion Newspaper. Click here to read it at www.publicopiniononline.com.) 
In this second of a two part series, Colin Thomas, pediatric certified registered nurse practitioner at Keystone Pediatrics, says activity is vital to your child’s health and your health. Here are some reasons why activity is important and what you can do to get on the road to an active, healthy life.
Kids Today
Kids are way less active than in the past 10 to 20 years. The rise of the video games, iPhones, texting, and computer games has kept kids inside rather than outside. Because kids and adolescents are inside rather than outside and adults work inside more than outside doing physical labor, our nation has become less active overall.
Obesity Epidemic
The increase of obesity in the United States is staggering—1 out of 3 people (including children aged 2 and up) are clinically overweight or clinically obese. This is a national epidemic. With this increase, we see more children who have Type 2 diabetes, fatty liver, elevated cholesterol, heart disease, low self-esteem, and are generally unhealthier than in previous decades.
It’s not work, it’s fun!
A lot of people get bummed out with the thought of exercising for an hour a day. Don’t think of physical activity as exercise; think of it just a being active together. First, you don’t have to go to a gym to stay active, simply go outside and play. You might be tempted to flip that TV on for 3 hours, eat dinner and then go to bed but choose to be active instead.
Better Together
Usually our overweight and obese children have parents that are overweight or obese as well. Getting active together shows the child or adolescent that the whole family is taking steps to improve their health and they are not alone. Make it a game for you and your child. Set goals together. Remember that gaining weight didn’t happen overnight. It will take time to get healthy again.
Family Fun
When kids get home from school or a parent gets home from work, rather than turning on the TV or playing video games; take a walk together, ride bikes as a family, go outside and shoot some hoops, kick a ball around. The act of playing with your kids should be fun for both of you. Start today and get moving for your health and that of your children.
Please note : This article contains general information only and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis, treatment or care by a qualified health care provider.
