Radio Commentary
Experts say that most American children are on their way to
an inactive adulthood, based on observations of how they spend their days.
That
thought is a bit frightening, considering that physical inactivity is one of
the primary risk factors for heart disease.
Experts agree that coronary disease
is a hereditary condition, but behaviors that begin in childhood can increase
or decrease the risk of heart disease.
Here are
some ways to help children get fit and stay fit, for a lifetime of healthy
living:
• First, provide a good example yourself.
Children who have active parents are more likely to be active than children who
do not.
Plan family activities, or even
after-dinner walks, several times a week. Make these activities fun for all
involved.
• Make sure children are active at home. Keep
sports equipment on hand and encourage lifelong activities such as tennis,
biking, or running. Children who enjoy these activities may well continue them
into adulthood.
• Unplug the TV, especially after school.
There’s a correlation between TV watching and low fitness rates, eating more
junk food, obesity, and high cholesterol.
Watching TV and playing computer
games are passive activities usually involving no movement at all. We’ve all
seen young people mesmerized by what is on the screen, often unaware that they
are sitting still for so long.
The inactivity is more dangerous,
in the long run, than any potentially objectionable material on the screen that
might soon be forgotten.
So make fitness a family affair and
it will have benefits that last a lifetime.
