by kellie abrahamson kabrahamson1@aol.com
I have plenty of New Year’s resolutions: I want to eat better, I want to read more, I want to take more time for myself, and I want to do more for others in our community. To put it simply, resolutions are about making lives better and, as a mom of two small children, I want to do everything I can to make theirs the best they can possibly be. That’s why I’ve also resolved to get both of my children off the couch and active as much as possible this year.
According to the Institute of Medicine, over the past three decades childhood obesity in preschoolers has more than doubled and it has more than tripled in kids ages 6 to 11. Obesity can lead to diabetes, hypertension, asthma, sleep apnea and orthopedic complications. Being overweight during childhood and particularly adolescence is related to increased morbidity and mortality in later life. Scary statistics aside, spending a couple hours outside jumping rope is far more fun for a kid than spending the same amount of time in front of the TV, no matter what happens to be on.
There are plenty of fun games you and your kids can play at home that will promote a more active lifestyle. Thanks to the Disney Channel’s new original movie “Jump In!” (which is scheduled to air on January 12th), your kids may soon develop a new-found interest in double-dutch. In addition to being a fun activity for kids of all ages, double-dutch is a strenuous aerobic exercise, meaning it will increase the heart rate, effectively burning fats and glucose.
Kickball is a terrific way to have fun and get active with your family, particularly if you have a large family. Because of the competitive nature of the game, even the biggest couch-potato will find this mixture of soccer and baseball fun. It may not seem like a lot of physical activity, but trust me; you will feel this one in the morning.
Since you’ll already be out there playing kickball, you might as well teach your kids the games of your youth. Red Rover, Red Light/Green Light, Capture the Flag, Hide and Seek, Manhunt and Hopscotch are all terrific ways to promote a more active lifestyle and bring back some fond memories of your own childhood.
An inexpensive way to feel the burn is to turn on some tunes and dance the day away. Find an upbeat song and show off your silliest dance moves. Young kids won’t be able to resist joining in. Warning: teens may wish to crawl under a rock somewhere at the sight of their parents dancing. This is a normal reaction and nothing to be concerned about.
Kids younger than 8 spend an average of 2.5 hours watching TV or playing video games, and kids 8 and up spend 4.5 hours plopped in front of the TV or wriggling a joystick. Can’t get your kids to turn off the PlayStation? Make the gaming system your partner in crime with video games like Dance Dance Revolution (available for PS2, Xbox and GameCube) or Pump it Up (available for PS2 and Xbox). These extremely entertaining dance games are highly addictive with cool songs and different levels of difficulty so everyone can get in on the act. If dancing isn’t what they are into, try some of the Eye Toy games for PlayStation 2. The little USB camera requires players to actually use their body to play games such as ping pong, tennis, baseball and soccer. You can also try your hand at being a musician or a super spy. Besides the game disc that comes with the hardware, you can purchase other physically challenging games such as Kinetic (a nifty work-out game complete with personal trainer) and Groove (a dance game that requires you to use your arms and legs).
There are a number of great places around town that offer kids a chance to work out without them even realizing it. For the younger kids there’s Pump It Up, a Southside facility that allows kids and their parents to jump, bounce, slide and climb in and on giant inflatables. For the more competitive, activities like basketball, boxing, obstacle course races and jousting can also be played in the massive arena. For more information visit www.pumpitupparty.com.
Skate Station in Mandarin is a great place to head if you’ve got pre-teens. There kids can roller skate (naturally) or sign up to play roller hockey. If winter sports are more your speed, there’s always Skate World Ice Arena on Philips Highway. There the whole family can learn how to play hockey or figure skate.
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