Having a child does not spell the end of your running career. Runner-parents everywhere are taking their kids along with them thanks to jogger strollers. But before you buy and run, here's a top-line look at available brands today and common-sense fitness tips to keep you running smart with baby until they're outrunning you someday.

Easy-Stroller-It. Whether you gave birth to the baby or are a proud, sleepless papa, you need to gradually ease into stroller running to prevent injury. "Running mechanics change and targeted muscles are trained different while pushing a stroller," exercise physiologist Fabio Comana tells The New York Times. He suggests you lower your time/pace/distance and walk first, then run/walk with an empty stroller before strapping in junior. Don't miss A Runner's Guide to Jogging Strollers over at Running Times Magazine for a comprehensive look at jogging with baby.

Take a Test Run. You wouldn't buy a car without a test drive, same goes for a stroller. Does it feel right for your body type/stride? How does it handle? Don't kick the tires, but do kick up your heels.

If it takes a village to raise a child, then it will also take a village to reverse the alarming explosion in childhood obesity rates -- 16.3 percent of kids ages 2 to 19 are obese today. There's ongoing research out there, like the Institute of Medicine's new report on 15 promising strategies local governments can take to fight childhood obesity. Parents are not in this fight alone.

But how does local policy relate to your own personal village inside the home? Here are at-home strategies to ponder, and how they might intertwine with local government policy.

Set A Far-Reaching, Right Example. Eating healthfully does not reside in a family vacuum. If you set the right example for your kids, that means that beyond the dinner table, you're also packing a healthy lunch, bringing healthy snacks for the soccer team and not feeding the Cub Scouts a pile of cookies after they've obviously eaten dinner and dessert at home. The constant empty carbohydrates and steady stream of sugar provided to children today needs to stop. Parents setting the right, healthy example can have wide-reaching effects on others. Same goes for government. They're experienced experts at improving children's health, and new policies to support healthy eating and exercise can make a marked difference for many.

Food and Motivation Shouldn't Mix. Stop rewarding and punishing kids with food. Keep food out of the equation. Experts have been recommending this for years. A hug, Band-Aids, a good cuddle with a book or setting up a special family adventure together are wonderful rewards. Don't take away treats as payment for poor behavior. Healthy food is all about fueling the body, satisfying hunger, gathering together as a family. Ask your schools to stop the pizza parties and treats as rewards.

Photo: fromfat2fit.com

You can't help but listen to someone who dropped 12 dress sizes at the age of 60, and kept the weight off the past seven years. Meet Carole Carson, slim and trim author of "From Fat To Fit: Turn Yourself into a Weapon of Mass Reduction" -- it's a great read. A grandmother of two French granddaughters, 67-year-old Carson recently spoke with That's Fit about her own weight-loss journey and ways to raise a healthy family the French way.

Carson's initial claim to fitness fame was simply starting a diet at the age of 59 and submitting a "you're never too old to get fit" story about it to a local newspaper. At 5-feet, 1-inch tall and 182 pounds, Carson was obese. When her article surprisingly hit the front page, she was so embarrassed she considered moving. But public response was overwhelmingly supportive -- the front page splash turned her into a regular columnist outlining her impressive 41-pound weight loss over the next 16 weeks.

Carson shed more, eventually landing at a size 6. She acknowledges her body size only requires between 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day, even with her impressive weekly exercise goals. "Once you've lost weight, you think you can go back and have that occasional cookie and [that] you're good to go. You aren't. It's a way of life," says Carson.

Photo: SashaW, Flickr

A treadmill is not a toy, but to a child, this powerful spinning platform sure looks like one. Treadmills are dangerous around young children. This past summer my second-grader saw a treadmill at a relative's house, jumped on it, and before anyone could stop him, beep-beeped the speed up to 10. He immediately stumbled and dove off the front of the treadmill, skinning the top of nearly every toe. It can happen that fast. Dozens of Band-Aids later, he's fine.

However, treadmill injuries can be serious, even fatal. Nearly 5,500 children under age 5 visited emergency rooms for treadmill injuries in 2006 and 2007, and Mike Tyson tragically lost his daughter, Exodus, to a treadmill accident last May. Other children have required skin grafts for friction injuries. Flying off the back of a treadmill, little hands stuck underneath the belt or pinched by rollers -- you need to take safety precautions for all at-home cardio machines. You never know when a young child may wander over and start pressing buttons.

FitChix and others offer several treadmill safety tips:

Photo: tiffanywashko, Flickr

Bento lunchboxes aren't scary. Really. A bento lunch can replace that sandwich-in-a-baggie-with-chips carbo blast with a portion-right, colorful array of nutritious foods. No baggies or bags to toss, and fancy rice balls are not required. Read on to take the mystery out of bento and get your kids beaming at lunchtime.

Picky Eaters Love Food Picks. Stop beating yourself up, you probably didn't create a picky eater -- your child may have been finicky right from the womb. A bento lunch can provide just what a picky eater likes, and accoutrements like food picks encourage a choosey kid to eat -- the right stuff. Try stacking grapes and banana slices, cheese and apples, edamame and carrot circles. Have fun with it.

Bento Tools. On-line sources such as O'Bento Lunch 4 Kidz and Bento Crazy have all sorts of fun trinkets for sale, including this Sanrio Cinnamoroll egg mold. Place a warm, peeled hard-boiled egg into the mold, snap it shut, pop in the fridge and all the cafeteria kids will come running to check out this funky shaped egg. Kids love squirting ranch on their carrots or vinaigrette on a small bento salad with these Puppy Smile sauce bottles. Food-touching-food freakouts can be prevented with bento bins or divider cups.

Photo: Bev Sklar

No more crinkly brown bags for school lunch, kid bento boxes are in this year. Can't blame you for trying to keep your kid away from not-so-stellar hot school lunch -- federal reimbursement for the National School Lunch Program is so pathetic, schools are left with a chicken nugget buck to spend on each lunch. Yes, about $1.

You can do better. Check out these healthy-to-go tools for your back-to-schooler, with a few featured here:

Laptop Lunchboxes. This American-style bento box encourages you to pack portion-right sizes of a variety of foods -- without any baggies landing in the garbage. No phthalates, BPA or lead, and it's reusable, recyclable and dishwasher safe. You can even purchase an extra set of inner containers just in case you left the containers in the sink. My second grader (pictured) loves his new black Laptop Lunchbox with red containers. This earth-friendly invention is forcing me to steer away from single-serve yogurt or applesauce and buy in bulk jars/tubs instead. One major complaint, missing a slot for an ice pack. May have to splurge on the carrying case with velcro mesh pouch and this non-toxic ice pack instead.

Photo: D Sharon Pruitt, Flickr

The latest diet and fitness news steadily grabs our attention. So many adult and young Americans struggle with weight issues, it's no wonder we're curious about the latest high-fiber cereal, fitness gadgets or whether or not we should keep flavored milk in the fridge. All this as millions face a much different challenge -- eating disorders.

Per the National Eating Disorders Association, 10 million females and one million males have an eating disorder in this country. Just yesterday the TODAY Show shared some of the fallout of eating disorders, including premature aging, osteoporosis, low blood pressure and heart problems. It's important to know more experts now believe family support is critical to teenss controlling their eating disorders, and that parents can play a major role in prevention.

One study of 80 bulimic teens revealed double the success rate for those in a treatment program that included family therapy. Another study of 32 teenage girls with anorexia found 75 percent in full remission three years post-treatment that, again, incorporated family therapy. Steps parents can take to support a teen recover include self-education about eating disorders, emotional support, avoiding denial and following directions outlined by the treatment team.

Photo: rattler97, Flickr

Millions of sports moms (and dads) are dusting off folding chairs, calibrating calendars and filling the tank with gas -- fall football, soccer and baseball season are fast approaching. Organized sports are the perfect avenue to transform your body into a fit, hip sports mom. As schedules rev up, turn that harried feeling in the pit of your stomach into firmer abs:

• Their Practice is Your Game Day. No folding chairs allowed at kids sport practices. When your tweens or teens are drilling, you need to be working out. Run around the field, try 20 minutes of alternating abs, push-ups, dips and jumping jacks. If you're dropping off, head out for a run or the gym for a sweat all your own. Reserve the folding chair for kid game day only.
• Pack Fit Snacks. Be a soccer snack grouch. You can't help but admire the parents who pack rockin' healthy snacks for their kids -- be the one who whips out sliced oranges and apples from a cooler filled with ice. Bring bananas and dried fruit, bake/freeze a double batch of homemade granola bars. Be doughnut-free.
  
• Know the Lingo. A hip sports mom understands subtle intricacies of the game. Weplay.com is a good place to start, Moms Guide to Sports offers quick-look pamphlets for sale, and "Soccer for Moms: Game & Parenting Essentials for Healthy Kids" looks like a fun read.
• Emergency Gym Bag. Keep fitness clothes/shoes in the car at all times. You never know when a game delay may strike, which means your fitness game day is on.
• Coach. The best sports parents are involved ones. Volunteer to be an assistant coach. You'll burn more calories running after kids than running to the grocery store.
  
• Get The Glow. Fit sports parents have a certain look about them. When you eat right, hydrate and work out, you have a glowing energy others can't miss. Set a goal to get the glow this sports season -- consistent behavior over time develops into a habit.

Fit Family Summertime Challenge -- For the next two weeks of your sports mom season, work out as often as your kids go to practice. If they can do it, so can you. Then drill with them at least once a week at home.

Photo: D Sharon Pruitt, Flickr

Do your kids play Kick the Can and hang outside with a pack of neighborhood kids during much of their free time or are they continually shuttled to/from organized sports and other enrichment activities, then head home to huddle around electronics? No one can deny electronics, organized sports beginning at younger ages and a sense of increased stranger danger have changed the nature of children's free time. Dual-working parents complicate matters, too.

Some say modern childhood play is at risk, and they're advocating to remove children's free, unstructured play off the endangered play-species list. Mike Lanza, Founder and Chief Play Officer over at Playborhood.com, is one of them. This 46-year-old father of three makes sure his family does not own a TV. Forget electronic games. His front and backyards are purposely designed play zones. His boys don't attend camp, Lanza hosts his own street camp for local kids instead.

Then there's Playborhood.com where Lanza and like-minded advocates are building a community of parents to raise awareness and seek solutions. When it comes to his boys' futures, Lanza says he's terrified. Not for lack of education or living in an unsafe world -- he's worried they won't have any fun if raised with little time to simply go play. Playborhood.com even sells bright, yellow signs with the slogan, Playborhood: Let Your Kids Go Out and Play. It's got a bit of a self-righteous ring to it, inviting neighbors over for a BBQ might be better received.

Signs aside, this neighborly philosophy is exactly what Playborhood is about. Lanza suggests parents knock on doors, organize fun at home (potlucks, informal gatherings), sit on their own front porches or driveways and give kids age-appropriate freedom to play -- without a helicopter parent hovering above.

Fit Family Summer Assignment: Give your kids plenty of free time to play next week, and invite a neighbor you've wanted to get to know over for dinner.

Photo: myzigo.com

Family cycling has come a long way. No more little girls straddling dad's bike atop a carpet-covered two-by-four attached to the boy bar. From fantastic new gear to ubiquitous family helmet habits, cycling with your kids is easier and safer now than it's ever been. Check out these new family bike cargo solutions to keep your young crew pedaling well into the season of falling leaves this year.

The Zigo Leader. A bike/trailer combo that places the trailer on the front of the bike, not the rear. You see your live cargo at all times during a ride. With four available modes, you can ride together, transform the trailer into a portable stroller, pop on a jogger/fork wheel for an instant jog stroller or leave the trailer and kids with grandma and bike solo. At $1,349, it's not cheap, but you'll pay just about anything to find your fitness groove after baby.

Chariot Carriers Sidecarrier. Instead of in front, how about mounting the kid trailer right alongside your bike? No new bike to purchase and no tire spray on baby John, either. There's even a pivoting hitch to keep the carrier level as you turn. It's the same width as a two-child trailer, but is this bike/carrier combo still too wide for many sidewalks/trails? Those side-by-side double strollers always look gargantuan at the mall. $500.

Topeak BabySeat. If you go the traditional route with a behind-you baby bike seat, check out Topeak's wraparound seat design for extra protection. It also features a 6-point harness system and a suspension system to absorb bumps. $139.95. Or hand your kids the best view with the iBert safe-T-seat, but long-legged parents might want to avoid this one. $94.95.

Photo: broma, Flickr

Overweight kids typically face obesity as adults. If you've ever considered a weight-loss camp for your family or child, take a look at Wellspring Camps. Wellspring says it's not a fat, diet or boot camp. Rather, it's a fitness and weight loss camp based upon proven scientific principles. I recently spoke with John Gordan, chief marketing officer at Wellspring, to find out how they make weight loss stick.

That's Fit: What sets Wellspring apart from other weight loss camps?

John: We're a scientific organization. Second of all, we're focused on helping teens and young adults change behaviors for long-term success. Others are focused on food reduction and exercise, we're helping establish healthy habits.

That's Fit: How many keep the post-camp weight off?

John: We do record our results. Initial weight-loss on average is 4 pounds per week. Average camp length is about six weeks, and 70 percent of campers have continued to lose weight or keep it off for six to 12 months post-camp, a study we've repeated with the same results the last four years. We're working with a university right now to do a long-term, large-scale study. The most inspiring thing is how these teens change as individuals. Most of campers have tried an average of four different things before coming to us. They feel like failures. The real inspiration is the physical/emotional changes they make.

Families rolling their carts around the grocery store will soon be hit with up to six possible nutritional rating labels -- a confusing, processed food mess. And powerhouse nutrition experts share that this eclectic system is one bad joke for your nutritional health. Take a look at how Cheerios score across just three of the labels and you'll see what we mean:

NuVal. Cheerios score a 34 out of 100 with NuVal. Big Food is not behind this label. Rather, it was developed by a panel of nutrition and medical experts to rate foods from 1 to 100 using the Overall Nutritional Quality Index algorithm. Higher nutrients, higher score. Finally, a label that speaks the truth about processed foods -- an orange gets a 100, pretzels an 11. Check out the video, this definitely seems like one of the best labels around. It's currently in use at Meijer Price Chopper and Hy-Vee.

nutrition iQ. Features a color-coded labeling system to identify better choices, Cheerios earns two colors -- dark orange for whole grains and orange for fiber. Jewel-Osco will see this system in the fall -- sounds complicated. Soda, candy, cookies, ice cream, juice and baby food are not rated.

Smart Choices Program. Cheerios is awarded this bold, green check mark. No wonder, Big Food is partially behind this label, which allows 25 percent of calories from added sugars and 480 mg of sodium per serving. Nutrition expert Marion Nestle is critical of the limits, and expert David Katz told the Chicago Tribune that industry meddling is like the "fox guarding the henhouse." At least this label will replace a slew of individual label systems put forth by Kraft, Pepsico, Kellogg's, General Mills and Unilever. But be wary of this one -- how about a big, fat red check mark for Dumb Choices instead?

To mess with your head even more, there's Guiding Stars, Healthy Ideas and the American Heart Association's red check mark, too. As Marion Nestle points out, label health claims aren't helping the consumer, they're marketing junk food.

However, if label-mania will influence your purchases, you need to self-educate. Think about who developed the label and what the ratings are actually measuring. Be skeptical, don't think these labels are an automatic green light. Besides, you can sidestep label confusion by purchasing wholesome, real foods such as fresh veggies, fruits, whole grains, fish and lean cuts of meat.

Fit Family Summer Assignment -- Shop primarily for real foods for one week. If you need a treat, forget the processed junk and try baking a batch of cookies or muffins from a healthier recipe.

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Photo: Kate Gardiner/Tim Taliaferro 2009, Flickr

Who or what inspired you to start running? Perhaps it was your jackrabbit runner dad, a neighbor who ran circles around the block or taking first place in the 50-yard dash in elementary school. No doubt, jogging has a tendency to run in families.

Parent runners have an instant fan club -- their kids. Whether or not you're into the sport, here are a few ways to spark your child's interest in running:

• Train Yourself. OK, so you're not a runner. Break the chain and train for your first 5K. Sign up your kids for the Kid Fun Run or have them volunteer at the water station to cheer you on. Couch Potato to 5K offers practical beginner tips to gradually get you in shape for race day.
• Running Rocks. Find a youth running program in your area with Running Rocks' convenient directory.
• Backyard Track and Field. Set up a track and field day at home. Time neighborhood kids in the 50 and 100-yard dash, measure their long-jumps, 12" softball shot put and frisbee discus. Don't forget the 4x100 relay with baton. Or look for a track camp in your area. Don't forget to schedule family time to watch an upcoming track and field event on TV or attend a local high school competition next season.
• Buy This Book. If you really want the ins and outs of youth running, purchase "Kids Running: Have Fun, Get Faster & Go Farther" by Carol Goodrow. Her page over at Kids Running.com outlines distance limits for young children, tips for your child's first Kid Fun Run, creative running games and much, much more. And don't miss her personal site which includes the new Muddy Dog Running Log offering a special kid running/walking incentive prize by USA Track and Field.
  
• Youth Runner Magazine. Stay on the pulse of the youth running scene. Put this icon on your kids' computer desktop and help them sign up today.

Fit Family Summer Assignment: Take a slow jog with your kids this week. Novice to the sport? The walk/run method will make it easier.

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Photo: Qole Pejorian, Flickr

The arrival of a screaming baby does not mean triathlon training is over. Parents with infants or young children who continue to stay in shape make cross-training concessions. The best part? Adapting your fitness habits to consistently include your kids will someday deliver a teenage workout partner capable of smoking you in a 5K.

Here are ideas for your next Fit Family Summer Assignment:

• Consider This Book. "Fit Family: The Infant, Toddler, and Preschool Years" is a recent 2008 release to inspire family fitness during your kids' most formative, needy years, which just happen to be when your fitness habits are most at risk.
  
• Now Plan It. Organize family bike rides, hikes and swim adventures. Find family-friendly routes -- the track or a car-free trail are terrific for new bike riders or a jog stroller. A quality baby backpack is a great investment.
  
• Invite Them. Whether you're embarking on a walk, jog, hour of yoga, at-home weightlifting session or popping in a fitness DVD, regularly invite your kids to join you. They learn fast, and they want to be with you. Consider family time or one-on-one special time with your kids as a chance to schedule fitness together.
  
• Buy the Treadmill. Parents need at-home cardio to fold in fitness. Hauling kids to the gym can be impossible some days, especially during cold/flu season. Besides, they'll actually witness you working out instead of sitting in a sterile room packed with runny noses.
• The Subtle Invitation. Whether you're jumping on the treadmill, the resistance bench or the yoga mat, have kid-friendly fitness gear scattered around (hula hoop, light weights, ab roller, resistance bands, a second yoga mat).
  
• Rely On Friends. Sneak in fitness while friends step up to supervise. Go to the pool with a friend and slice away 30 laps while she watches your kids. Switch.
• Bird or Owl Training. On the days you must have solo sweat time, work out early with the birds or pump iron late with the owls. Hopefully your kids are typical, diurnal sleepers and you have small windows of time to yourself. Remember, putting your kids on a strict sleep schedule is about your fitness sanity, too.

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Photo: discoodoni/Flickr

Do you announce to the world you're dieting? What about to your family? I diet-lie to my kids, but they're tiny white lies. Like when I'm trying to lose five pounds, but prefer not to fold my 5-year-old and 7-year-old in on the plan. I'd rather they focus on healthy habits, not my wish to fit into that dress by next month's wedding or the D-word -- diet.

The other day my daughter asked why I didn't have any ice cream at our favorite scoop shop. Honestly, I'd have loved a twist cone dipped in chocolate, but I'd just eaten a healthy, filling dinner and my hips don't need the cone. So instead of telling her I was dodging the treat because I was on a 'diet,' I told her I was full. She was content with that response, digging right into her cone with a clean conscience that mommy wasn't deprived of the sweet fun.

Parents, listen up. Kids emulate you. Incessantly chatter about dieting, body size and fitting into itty bitty jeans, and someday they will, too. Consistently stock the kitchen with wholesome foods, then stay active yourself, and you'll help build a foundation for healthy living. A couple days after the ice cream white lie, I asked my daughter if she wanted any more of her snack. She replied, "No, I'm full."

Fit Family Summer Assignment: If you go on a diet this summer, don't tell your kids. Quietly eat right, exercise and see what happens.

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