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Get Moving!
5 Tips for Raising Active Kids
Over the past two decades, the number of overweight adolescents has tripled. The habits that lead to skyrocketing childhood obesity figures start early in life. According to a published study in The Lancet, the average 3-year-old gets just 20 minutes of vigorous physical activity each day, well short of the recommended hour a day for that age.
"Young children are the most active Americans of any age," says Frances Berg, childhood obesity expert and author of the book Underage and Overweight: America's Childhood Obesity Crisis – What Every Family Needs to Know (Hatherleigh Press, 2004). "Because young children naturally move around a lot, many people assume they are getting all the physical activity they need. But today TV and videos often keep them still for longer periods than parents realize."
"The idea is not to have baby workouts," she says. "Physical activity should be a fun part of daily life and never forced. If children begin to associate being active with having fun, they're more likely to stay active as they grow up."
Berg has the following tips for parents who want to start their children on a path to an active life: