- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- moms today articles
- moms today q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
From Our Sponsors
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Plan Early to Head Off Obesity
10 Tips for Daily Physical Activity
By Rae Pica
Here's the bad news about sedentary lifestyles:
- Forty percent of children ages 5 to 8 show at least one heart disease risk factor, including hypertension and obesity. Among children this condition has doubled during the past two decades, according to an article in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.
- According to studies by the Institute for Aerobic Research, the first signs of arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) are appearing at age 5 – something never before seen in anyone younger than age 30.
- Children ages 6 to 10 are dying of sudden cardiopulmonary arrest, according to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine.
- And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in a recent study that American children born in 2000 face a one in three chance of developing Type 2 diabetes – something that used to be called "adult-onset diabetes."
There's certainly a lot of bad news about the nation's sedentary lifestyles. However, the good news is that it doesn't take much to turn things around. We just have to make sure our kids are physically active! Here are 10 tips for making that happen.
1. Turn off the TV!
Children are being electronically entertained an average of five to six hours a week, according to recent research. Without electronics, they'll have to find other ways to keep themselves entertained. Now's the time to have the kids head outdoors! 2. Encourage your children to engage in active play.
Research shows that the children who are most active are those whose parents have encouraged them to be active. 3. Play with your children!
Blow bubbles for them to chase, play tag and hide-and-seek or put on an up-tempo song and boogie in the living room. Or put on a John Philip Sousa march, break out the pots and pans and hold a parade around the house! Want to see more?
Comments
There are no comments for this article yet.Be the first to 
|
Post As:
|
||
| Enter your comment below: | ||
| Title | ||
| Comment Text | ||
| CAPTCHA | ||
| Please note that any comments submitted become the property of Disney Family / iParenting and can be edited and posted at our discrection. | ||
