Chapter 22
Kids, Tweens, and Teens: Fun
Activities for the Whole Family
In This Chapter
Establishing a fitness mindset early in life
Catching the energy of preteens
Overcoming fitness objections with teenagers
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tatistics on childhood obesity are startling: More than one out of every
seven kids in the United States is overweight or obese, and that number
climbs every year. As a result of too little exercise and too many calories, these
kids are also developing serious diseases: high blood pressure, adult-onset
diabetes, and arthritis, for example.The most effective way to combat poor fitness in your kids is to take a dual
approach:Tap into your child’s natural love of activity. Kids love to play, indoors
or out, and all that “playing” is really just exercise. Ultimately, any kind
of activity is exercise (running, climbing, playing tag, skipping, dancing,
swimming), so getting kids, especially young kids, to be active isn’t usu-
ally a problem.If youthink of exercise as drudgery, however, and if you present exercise
to your kids in this light, you’ll likely turn off any natural desire they have
for a high level of activity. If you regularly play with your kids — from
kicking a soccer ball around to jumping rope to hiking — and make it a
priority, your kids will be hooked on exercise within just a few weeks.
Turn your kids on to healthy foods. When you stock your fridge and
cup-boards with the healthiest, freshest, most delicious foods you can
afford, your child’s acquired taste for fats and sugars will quickly disap-
pear. Many parents believe that if they don’t offer their kids all the pizza,
cookies, and salty snacks they want, their kids will go hungry. And, sure,
if you fill your cupboards with tofu and green tea, you’ll likely encounter