Exercise in frustration

Not too long ago I read a blog where a woman was complaining about a kid on her son's baseball team. The child she was complaining about was overweight and not athletically inclined. She was frustrated and upset about his presence on the team. In fact, she stated that he should lose some weight before joining a team. My jaw dropped when I read that. If an adult can be so short-sighted and cruel, just imagine how other kids might treat an overweight team member, or the chubby kid in gym class. Joining sports and being active in gym class is exactly what overweight kids need. They need encouragement, support, and they need to feel confident and good about themselves.

It's a well-known fact that physical activity is good for kids (natch, everyone). And if a child is battling obesity, then exercise becomes even more important. But what if embarrassment, lack of coordination, or other issues make exercise a miserable experience for kids? Read this story about 13-year-old Matthew and what type of experience gym class was for him. So what's the solution?From as young an age as possible, parents should encourage and model a healthy, active lifestyle. Here are some ideas:

• Get your kids pumped up about team sports and try a new one each season. Your kid may find they have a favorite they want to focus on, or they may enjoy switching from sport to sport.
  
• Go for family walks after dinner -- not only is it great activity, it's a great way to catch up with each other.
  
• Kick a soccer ball around in the backyard, play a game of catch, or shoot some hoops with your kids.
• Visit a local park and go inline skating or mountain bike on a wooded trail.
  
• Play a round of tennis.
• Buy active toys such as Hyper Dash or Dance, Dance Revolution.
  
• Set up relay races in the house.
• Create a punchcard and every time your child walks, bikes, or skates around the block punch a new hole -- after a set number of punches give your child a reward
• Help your child study for tests or other schoolwork actively (e.g. my son and I play "spelling word basketball" -- for each correctly spelled word he gets to take a shot in his Nerf basketball hoop.

Be creative and find activities your child enjoys. When kids learn that physical activity is fun, health is sure to follow.