That's Fit

A recent study found that kids who were less physically coordinated or less athletic are at a greater risk of obesity.

The long-term study, published in the British Medical Journal, involved more than 11,000 people. Teachers and medical personnel conducted tests to assess coordination. When those students reached age 33, their body mass index was recorded. In the case of kids whose coordination was deemed poor at age 7, the risk of obesity was doubled.

While researchers didn't venture a guess as to why the results were as they found, other experts surmise it's because less coordinated kids aren't as likely to join in team sports or other active play. If your kids are the most coordinated on the block, there's no need to force them into team sports or programs they don't enjoy. Just make a regular habit of going for walks with your kids, visit the playground frequently, encourage them to ride bikes, kick a soccer ball around the backyard ... the list of activities goes on an on. Just find something your kids enjoys and foster that interest.

I remember viewing forced exercise as punishment well into high school. I never ran for fun. I ran because I was late for practice, or because we hadn't played well the night before.

Having coached youth sports, I understand the need to have some sort of punishment, and it's totally logical that the punishment be something that will also benefit the players. However, it's also important that the kids realize that's why you've chosen this consequence.

Last fall my son was on a soccer team and he absolutely loved it. It was a short season -- only 10 games. It worked out perfectly as there were 10 kids on the team, so each family was scheduled to bring a snack to one game. Having a last name that starts with 'V' it was no surprise that we were scheduled for the last game, so I didn't have to think about it for a while.

At the first game I was surprised to see my son, elated from his team's first victory, running across the field with a pack of chocolate cookies and a great big sports drink. It may say "sports" on the label but many of those drinks are nothing more than water, artificial coloring, and a great big sticky glob of high fructose corn syrup. I decided just to let it go. It's not going to hurt him to have a treat like that once in a while. The next game was no better -- a chocolate-covered granola bar and another sugary drink. Week after week this was the type of snack the kids were given. I'm not a nutrition snob and I definitely let my son have treats from time to time. But after a sporting event, I think little bodies need some decent nutrition.

Many people who establish fitness routines do it alone, and that's very commendable. But let's face it -- sometimes exercising alone can be a drag. Not only do you not have anyone to commiserate with and share your triumphs with, but when you're going at it alone, you have no one to be accountable too and unless your ultra-motivated, that can lead to laziness sometimes. Team sports are a great way to get active and not only that, but you'll meet new friends and have lots of fun in the meantime. Here's a list of some fun team sports. Ask around and you'll probably find a league you can join in you're area.

• Dragon boating: Dragon boating has become increasingly popular over the last few years, and most cities have an annual dragon boat festival in the summer. Dragon boating teams consist of 22 people, 20 of whom are responsible for rowing the team to victory, and while you might think you can slack off because there are so many people, think again. Dragon boating is hard work, and can burn up to 800 calories an hour. I first heard about it from a family friend who participates in races regularly. She is in her 70s and a cancer survivor, so I think that if she can do it, you can too.

Let's say your new to town and you don't know many people. But you want to make friends. What do you do? Head to the nearest bar and hope someone will strike up a conversation? Nah ... why don't you join a sports rec league? I saw this company being advertised on local TV this morning, and I think it's a great idea -- a way to meet people through team sports. Choose from beach volleyball, dodgeball, basketball, soccer, slow pitch, ultimate, floor hockey or football -- and there's only one rule: have fun!

I'm not one for team sports usually, but if the fun comes first, I think I can handle something like this. How about you?

Think about it: Why were you so much fitter when you were in high school? Is it because your metabolism was faster? Possibly, but chances are you were also a lot more active. It's not necessarily your fault -- being young involved more than just sitting at a desk all day. Whether it was gym class, walks to the store, riding your bike to your friend's house, chasing the girls (or boys) down the hall or fights with your siblings, you were active so much more. Now you have to make time for such things, unless you work in an office where chasing co-workers down the hall is appropriate (I doubt it) or you still wrestle your little brother for the remote (I hope not). I for one would love to spend less time under the fluorescent lights of the gym and more time engaged in the carefree activity of a teenager. Here are some ways I, and you, can channel our younger selves and get back into that way of life that we miss so much.

Some people don't mind, or even like solitary activity, and are great at getting themselves in gear and finding the motivation to go for a run or a hike or a swim by themselves. Others need a social aspect to activity, maybe even a competitive component. If you're the latter, you may want to look into a team sport. My favourite? Volleyball. I even had a stint on my eighth grade volleyball team, though I think that was a fluke because I'm not actually very good. But I have fun spiking and serving and volleying, and that's what counts, right?