Years ago, I asked a friend how he quit smoking. He replied, “I didn’t do it for myself, I did it for her.” My friend, Michael was illustrating a powerful tool – love for someone else. In this case, his wife.
A few articles have recently come across my desk, supporting parents’ influence on their child’s physical activity levels. What did they suggest the parents do? Be active yourself and be active with your children.
According to the CDC: “Health care providers are finding more and more children with type 2 diabetes, a disease usually diagnosed in adults aged 40 years or older” and “Type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents already appears to be a sizable and growing problem among U.S. children and adolescents.” Heartbreaking and unnecessary, our children are about to carry a very serious burden. In response, I think we may have an outstanding win-win-win solution staring us in the face. I’m writing to share this research as a new means for channeling the love we have for our children/relatives. Parents/caregivers/role models – get active yourself and lead by example. Let your children and loved ones see that it’s is hard to stay active and make good decisions regarding food and screen time but that your health is a precious asset. Let’s help these young people dodge the bullet of poor health that is heading our way by taking time for a walk, kicking a ball down the hallway for 20 minutes, impromptu dance parties and a game of horse at the local park district.As with most healthy behaviors, this solution is simple but not necessarily easy. Life is busy and full and hard (it’s how we got into this mess.) I encourage you to channel that love for your children and loved ones in to carving out some time for exercise together. The benefits could be life changing!
Need some inspiration? Why not make a fake Olympics in your living room or at the park. Let your kids pick their favorite events and create your own version with items that you already own.