Encouraging Activity

Are you worried about whether your child gets enough activity during the day? Do your children stay glued to the tube late into the night? You can make some subtle changes in your lifestyle that will go a long way into making your children more active and fit.

Do your children stay glued to the tube late into the night? Are you worried about whether they get enough activity during the day? Do you think your child is overweight? You are not alone. Every successive generation feels that their children have it far easier than they did, and for most of the part, they are right. Sure, you can enroll them in karate classes, but in addition to the obvious here are subtle changes you can make in your lifestyle that will go a long way into making your children more active and fit.

Plan more outdoor activities on weekends

Weekends are when children spend the most time watching television since they have a lot of free time on their hands. Make it a point to plan some form of an outing with your children which involves some activity. Even if your children are in the mood to watch a movie, walk to the cinema and back with your kids. Kids may not enjoy a walk as a form as activity by itself, but the minute it is incorporated into another activity - like taking a walk to the park or the cinema, it becomes a lot more fun. So the next time you want to take your children for a walk make sure you walk to a particular destination and not just around the park.

Discourage television when friends are over

Turn off the television when your child's friends are over. It may be hard to limit your child's viewing time when he is by himself, but it should be easy when he has a friend over. Make a similar pact with other parents, and ask them that when your child is over at their place, they should turn off the television.

Encourage outside play

From the outset make it a habit to send your children down to your building garden or to the neighbourhood park in the evenings to play with other children. This will encourage an early involvement in sporty activities. Often children who have grown up playing games like catch with their neighbourhood friends stay actively involved in sports even in school, and are frequently part of their school sports team.

Don't throw food-oriented parties

Sure, it's a lot of fun to have your child's birthday party at Pizza Hut. But if you are concerned that your child is not getting the activity he should, or if you are worried about his weight, perhaps you should be considering taking everyone to an amusement park like EsselWorld. It will be loads more fun and the children will run around until they are dripping with sweat.

Change your mindset

Feeding your child excessive food is NOT a gesture of love. Indian culture is completely food oriented, and we tend to believe that overfeeding is a form of love. Sure, a plum child is a cute child, but at the same time a fat child will not appreciate carrying that fat into adulthood, or even into adolescence. In addition, fat children are not only unhealthier than their lean counterparts, but they also get more flack from friends at school. Almost every fat child gets picked on by school friends, and when they come home, parents send a conflicting message by telling them not to worry and to eat more. On the other hand, you don't need to go the other extreme and encourage your child to diet or make her conscious about her weight. Simply make it a habit to keep healthy food in the house, and make a healthy diet a family habit.