Most parents are used to hearing a constant, whining plea for a dog from their children -- and most stick to the old standby answer of No, insisting it's too much responsibility. But parents, maybe it's time to change your tune.

New studies out of Australia show that kids raised with a canine companion are 50% less likely to be overweight or obese. Well, duh -- I probably could've told you that. The surprising part is this: According to the findings, it didn't matter if the kids walked the dog or not -- just playing with it was enough to keep the reading on the scale at a healthy number. That's not to say you shouldn't make your kids walk the dog -- it's great exercise and it's a good lesson in responsibility.

Worried about your little one walking alone? Make it a family affair and walk with them. Getting a dog out of the question? Go for a daily walk anyway. The bottom line is this: Just get your kid moving.

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Martha recently posted about whether or not parents should be notified if their children are overweight. A recent user question on Momtourage shows that some doctors are doing just that. ... and I think it's a good thing. The parent asking the question is wondering if they should even be concerned that their child is overweight because they feel that their child is active and happy.

Some children are clearly, unmistakably overweight. But for other kids, it isn't always easy to tell. After all, kids go through growth spurts and they grow at different rates. But if a medical professional expresses that your child is indeed overweight, it's time to take action.

As parents, there are many things you can do to help your child live a healthy lifestyle and maintain an appropriate weight.

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I adopted my son a little over a year ago. When he first moved home, he was 10-years-old and had spent quite a few years bouncing between family to family in foster care. Subsequently, he didn't have a very good grasp on a lot of basic principles, such as manners and appropriate boundaries. He honestly didn't know why it would be OK to ask for a drink of water, but why it isn't polite just to start rifling through a neighbor's kitchen cabinets.

While we worked on manners and boundaries at home, I decided it was best to set an outdoor-only rule when playing with neighborhood friends. I figured there were a lot fewer manner-glitches he could run into while playing outdoors. Besides, it was summer. Why should he be inside when there are bikes to be ridden and games of tag to be played?

A few of the other parents talked to me about the rule. They understood that he was learning new rules and needed stricter boundaries, but they didn't want him to feel different from the other kids in the neighborhood. In the end, they all supported my decision. And by the time winter's cold arrived, my son had a much better grasp on manners and could play inside friend's houses without unintentionally being rude.

Recent research shows that most parents overestimate the time their kids are engaging in physical activity. On average, parents estimated that their kids were active for two hours a day. Actually, their kids were active for less than 30 minutes a day.

If your child is school age and old enough to go play with friends in the neighborhood as my son does, it can be hard to gauge their physical activity. If they're out of your sight, how can you know for sure what amount of exercising they're doing?

You can use this activity chart with your kids to check their activity level. But the best possible way to verify your kids are getting at least one hour of exercise each day (at least!) is to be active with them. Play a game of basketball, go for a walk or bike ride, visit a local playground, or go swimming. Active games -- such as hide and seek or red light/green light -- are also great ways to get your kids moving.

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So what are your plans for Labor Day? Frankly, the holiday sneaked up on me this year. What with back-to-school and work deadlines and other things I have on my mind, I completely forgot about it. My son and I will find something fun to do, though. We'll probably visit with family and maybe go to the BMX track (my son's favorite activity).

When making your Labor Day plans, keep health in mind. Some ideas:

• When grilling for your Labor Day BBQ, choose leaner cuts of meat and grill plenty of vegetables. You can also grill some fruits (peaches, plums, pineapple) for dessert. Remember to keep grilling safety in mind, too.
  
• Skip the chips and mayo-laden salads. Instead offer more healthful choices like veggie trays, yummy mixed green salads, and fruit salad.
• Plan some active time with family and friends. You can set up a volleyball net in the backyard, hold a basketball competition, or swim. Kids would also enjoy relay races and active games like red light, green light.
  
• Go on a Labor Day outing. Hike along a nature trail, bike on a rail trail, or visit a nearby beach (and don't just lay around -- swim and be active).

If your young child is a "hands-on" type of kids who loves his or her blocks and building materials, those language skills may be under development along with motor skills, according to a study released this week.

The study revealed that language scores were about 15 percent higher in the group of kids aged 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 who were sent blocks to play with out of a group of 175 kids.

Parents of each block-supplied child were given instructions on how to help their kids play with the blocks, then each kept copious notes during a four-day study period. After studying the responses from all involved parents, the researchers concluded that 'block play ' stimulates thinking, memory and physical mastery -- all of which are precursors to language construction and expression.

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This almost sounds like a mistake: a TV network telling watchers to turn off the television to go outside and play. But, that is exactly what children's network Nickelodeon did this past Saturday in an effort to encourage kids to get some exercise in the annual "day of play" that many observed around the globe.

This is a great example of trying to do the right thing for kids of all ages. Television has been called the 'great babysitter' for ages, but there is no substitute for supervised play outside for the health and vitality of that growing child.

Did you participate in this last Saturday? The dead air began at noon PDT and the network featured the case history of a chubby kid who used to play video games and sit in front of the television all hours of the day. After joining the "Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge" program, the youth dropped 40 pounds (40?) learned to swim and ride a bike. Those are both excellent activities for youth fitness.

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Fit Gadgets is a weekly feature focusing on products and technology that will help you get fit and stay motivated or simply make life easier. It may even be a gadget that could help to save your life. From the mainstream to the obscure, I'll let you know what works and what doesn't.

When Richard Tait and Whit Alexander set out to start a company in 1998, they had a distinct mission: create a lifestyle brand fueled by products and services that would lighten and enlighten people's lives. Their goal was to create special moments, memories, and emotional touchstones that people could celebrate at home, at work, and with friends and family - all the while laughing and learning.

They did just that! And among their fabulous list of games; CRANIUM HULLABALOO.

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America today is a nation of wimps. That's according to this article from eDiets, which suggests that the reason kids today have trouble coping is because they are babied by their parents and society in general. And I agree. These days, kids seem to be afraid of germs, of scraping their knees, of generally being a kid. And this isn't something that they're born with -- it's a result of their parents fussing over them too much. Parents don't want their kids to get hurt or to have to learn a lesson the hard way, but that's the best way for them to learn and to grow.

Here's another problem: If you're afraid to let your kids play outside, they're probably inside playing video games or watching TV -- behaviour which has resulted in this big scary childhood obesity problem we're facing.

This summer, get your kids outdoors and let them explore all that this big beautiful world has to offer.

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Here at That's Fit, our Daily Fit Tip is all about small steps you can take to make your life healthier. Today, why not trying to burn some calories. You don't need some hour-long sweat session that burns 600 calories or anything ... but how about 100? Burning 100 calories is easier than you think. It's as easy as dancing with your honey for half and hour, going to the park with your kids or gardening for 20 minutes. If you could devote time every day to burning 100 calories, you would be burning an extra 700 calories a week which is sure to pay off after a while.

For me, burning an extra 100 calories is as easy as taking a walk at lunch instead of sitting at my desk. It's refreshing and energizing after hours of toiling away at the computer.

How do you burn 100 calories?

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McDonald's introduced play-places to their restaurants in 1971. Since then, thousands of kids have been enjoying not only french fries, but the opportunity to climb rope nets and play in ball pits. Lately, the play-places have been becoming less and less commonly included in the restaurant designs, perhaps due to safety concerns from parents or simply rising real estate costs -- so kids were still eating but less active.

This week McDonald announced that they have converted two former play-places into full-on kids' gym facilities. The McDonald's R Gyms (R for Ronald?) are designed for kids ages 4-12 and are "equipped with stationary bicycles attached to video games, dance pads, basketball hoops, monkey bars, an obstacle course, and a host of other games" to keep kids active and combat the notion that the company is promoting an unhealthy lifestyle. The gym locations also have special toddler zones with age-appropriate activities.

Any nutritional issues with the food at McDonald's aside, this is really a fantastic idea because it gives kids who are quite possibly sedentary at home a new place to play and be active. The kids who are already very active may or may not see any benefit from playing a few minutes at the "gym," but it could make a big difference for a child who sits at a desk all day and watches TV when s/he comes home.

[via Fast Food News]

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