344 Part VII: Exercising for All Ages and Stages
sure she understands that you’re not just being the least cool parent in the
world by parking way off in one corner, but that exercise is important to you,
and you want to use your legs to get you around whenever possible.Cutting back on TV and video games
After a hard day at work, you just want to sink into the recliner, grab the
remote, and veg out, right? Well, maybe. Taking time to relax each day is, of
course, absolutely necessary in life. But spending hours in front of the TV is
often more a matter of habit than necessity, and your kids will follow your lead.
Watching TV and playing video games is fun — no doubt about it — but so is
playing a game of pick-up basketball, taking a walk through town, playing touch
football, riding bikes, and climbing trees. If you can limit the amount of time
you spend in front of the TV — and we’re talking about really limiting it, say,
to a half-hour per day — you can open up precious hours to play, talk as a
family, finish homework, read quietly, and so on.It’s no great irony that, as TV viewing increases, so do obesity levels.Connecting with Your Teenager
By their teenage years, your kids have settled into a routine — often one of
two routines: as active teenagers who participate in several school sports or
as fairly inactive teens. If your teen is of the inactive variety, or is active for
one or two school sports seasons but not year-round, you can help your child
become more active by taking a few simple steps, discussed in the following
sections.Planning new traditions
Does your family’s routine center around food and comfort, or are you an
active family that heads out the door whenever possible? Whatever your
current routine, talk to your teen about some new traditions you can put
into place.Is Saturday morning a time for sausage and pancakes? What about
replacing that with a brisk walk to the local coffee shop or a bike ride
around the city?Are birthdays usually celebrated with a heavy meal and rich birthday
cake? What about taking your teen out of school at lunchtime on his
birthday and heading to the nearest city or state park for an afternoon
hike, complete with a picnic lunch?