Call to Action

What's a Parent to Do?

by Rae Pica

Last week I wrote about a fitness lifestyle and how important it is that moving be just as much a habit as brushing teeth and bathing. Here are some additional suggestions for how you can promote your child’s – and your family’s – fitness: 

• Although rewarding physical activity isn’t a good idea, using physical activity as a reward is. For example, you might suggest a family hike or a trip to a nearby pond for skating as a reward at the end of a long week. Thinking of physical activity as a reward gives it the right spin.
  
  
• Buy movement-oriented toys. If your child has more active than sedentary toys, it will limit his choices in a good way. When it’s time for gift giving, select items like hula hoops, balls in a variety of shapes, sizes, and textures, roller skates, a jump rope, juggling scarves, a shovel and pail, a little red wagon, or a wading pool or swing set. When shopping for games, Twister has more to offer then Chutes and Ladders. And CDs with lively music are a better choice than movie videos.
  
  
• Limit TV time and don’t allow a set in the bedroom.
  
  
• Don’t make a walk or a jog about exercise only. You can use this time to strengthen the bond with your child by talking to her as you stroll together. Let her choose the topic! She’ll be thrilled by your undivided attention.
  
  
• Get creative! Exercise doesn’t have to be a bore – and it shouldn’t be if you want your child to learn to love it. If you’re stuck inside and your little one hasn’t had enough movement, put a lively march on the CD player and hold a “parade” around the living room. To introduce your toddler or preschooler to stretching, pretend to be reaching for something on a high shelf, shooting a basketball, climbing a ladder, or trying to pluck a star from the sky. Play a game of point and flex, you sit facing each other with legs straddled, alternately pointing your toes toward each other and them aiming them toward the ceiling, holding in each position for a second or two. Make up a song about pointing and flexing! Turn tedious heel raises and knee bends into a game of popcorn, where you and your child stand and alternately lift your heels, lower them, and then bend and straighten your knees, pretending to be popcorn popping. Make the sounds that go with it!

If the way to develop a skill is to practice, practice, practice, then the way to get your child on the road to physical fitness is to model, model, model. As busy as you may be, if you truly want physical fitness for your child, you’re going to have to be part of the process.