Experts
say that many American children may be 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/heart 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. 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 may be 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.
