Tag Archives: kids fitness

Do Your Kids Need More Exercise?

Health experts would answer that question with a rousing “yes,” and now they have even more evidence to support their assertions. A new study found that more than half a million 4-year-olds are obese. Even more disturbing, according to researchers, is the finding that nearly a third of American Indian children are obese. The study’s lead author noted that the findings are “of major concern” among children so young given that obese individuals are at very high risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, cancers, joint diseases and other health problems. If you are concerned that your child may be … Continue reading →

Fat Babies = Unfit Adults

According to a new study, infants who gain too much weight as babies are more likely to grow into obese toddlers, and later, obese adults. The research was conducted by doctors at Harvard University and Children’s Hospital-Boston and concluded that early eating and exercise habits are extremely important in shaping healthy adults. The study found that parents need to watch for cues from their children about when they are full, encourage them to drink plenty of water, and have them participate in activities that promote movement. The Harvard researchers noted that obesity rates among U.S. children have doubled in the … Continue reading →

Kids and Fitness—One Sport or Many?

It’s a question I pondered recently when enrolling my 4-year-old in soccer. She loves playing soccer, but she also loves tumbling, swimming, golfing, and shooting hoops. So do I have her stick with a single sport at an early age, which can lead to advanced skill level and potentially a college scholarship (or if I want to dream bigger… success akin to Olympic gold medal winning gymnast Shawn Johnson, who began tumbling when she was just 3 years old) or do I enroll her in several different classes to expose her to a variety of activities? There are pros and … Continue reading →

Phelps Promotes Kids Fitness

Golden boy Michael Phelps just returned to U.S. soil yesterday and his next mission doesn’t involve winning medals; rather the muscular swimming sensation says he wants to save your child from obesity. Phleps flew back to the United States Wednesday and he is wasting no time promoting children’s fitness. This morning he got back into the water for the first time since becoming the winningest Olympic athlete in history. But, the part man-part fish specimen didn’t do so to get in his daily swim; rather the 23-year-old was trying to encourage young kids to embrace the sport of swimming the … Continue reading →

Michael Phelps the Comedian?

I suppose if Nancy Kerrigan can do it, why not Michael Phelps? The king of the pool will be stepping into unchartered waters when he hosts the season premiere of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” on September 13th. (We all know the number 8 was great for the swimming sensation in China; now we’ll get to see how 13 treats him.) The golden boy of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China will not only be making his acting debut on the late-night institution, Phelps will also be hooking up with the recording artist whose music motivated him in the … Continue reading →

You Can’t Do That on Television – Nickelodeon is…

With so many networks available for kids to watch these days, Nickelodeon is making good on a very old promise from their own infancy. A show used to air on their network called: You Can’t Do That on Television and today, they continue with that theory by telling kids to turn off the television and go outside to play. In recent memory, the Nickelodeon channel has hosted four on air challenges and according to news reports, they’ve helped some kids to lose up to 30 pounds as they inspire children and their families to eat healthier and exercise more. The … Continue reading →

Fitness Report Cards

Posted on by

2 years ago, the Arkansas schools began sending report cards and letters home to the parents grading not only their children’s academic progress, but also their fitness and weight levels. If you can imagine that receiving those letters were not pleasant – then you are not in the minority. Getting a school letter telling you that your child is fat is not a thing any parent wants to receive. However, these letters did do something. They provided the impetus for parents to take their kids to the pediatrician for talks about weight problems, enroll them in fitness classes and keep … Continue reading →

Get Out of the House

That’s right. Get out of the house. It is springtime, you and your kids need to get outside and enjoy the beauty of the day. I read a review of a book today that really struck a nerve. The book is called Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. Written by Richard Louv in 2005, the book discusses the profound impacts on the physical, spiritual and emotional health our children are dealing with because fewer and fewer actually just go outside to play. Allergies, schedules and the increasing popularity of games are keeping our kids inside … Continue reading →

Keeping Kids Fit

Trying to stay fit is hard enough, keeping your children fit is another tale altogether. Most kids hear the word exercise, roll their eyes and run the other way. They want to have fun. They want to play. They want to enjoy themselves. The word exercise is weighed on the same level as ‘clean your room’ and ‘do your homework.’ You’ll have a few takers and even the few who might think ‘exercising’ is fun will have to be convinced about how to do it. So the best thing a parent can do for their child is to mix business … Continue reading →