Health & Fitness by Jerry Del Priore

How healthy are our kids?

Kids today are more inactive then they have ever been. They spend more stationary time by either being on the Internet, playing video games, or watching TV. This has helped produce greater health concerns for many of our children. One out of every ten children is obese. One out of every three children is overweight. 75% have three or more risk factors for heart disease. 50% of girls and 28% of boys ages 9-15 are on diets, usually unhealthy diets. The good news is that 49% of children are involved in after school sports; the bad news is that by age 15 most have dropped out.

Children who develop weight related health problems early on in life may have a hard time reversing those effects later in life. Parents have a major role on how and what their kids eat. Here are a few tips to get your children on the road to healthier eating.

* Limit TV watching. Children tend to eat a lot of junk food while watching TV.

* Don't force your children to finish every meal if they are not hungry. Many experts believe they bring this mentality into their adulthood, which may lead to overeating.

* Prepare healthy meals as a family. This will help make your children more aware of what the healthier foods are. It can also bring the family closer and your getting help preparing the family meal.

Nutrition is one aspect of a healthy lifestyle for children. Exercise is the second.

It may not always be easy to get your child to exercise. You should offer them a variety of fun activities such as: rollerblading, brisk walking, family hikes, bicycling, and ice-skating. The first thing to remember is not to involve your kids in activities that are too strenuous, like running. They will not adhere to a strenuous program for long. A children's' fitness program should be fun, dynamic, and challenging. Any type of exercise your child will do safely, and enjoys is the right type.

Many people have asked me if their kids should weight/resistance train. I think weight/resistance training should come when the child has developed a solid base for strength and motor skills. Kids should start out with exercises where they lift their own body weight (push-ups, sit-ups, dips, and Plyometrics (jump training). Once a child's body has matured and a solid base of strength and improved motor skills has been developed, they may proceed to begin weight/resistance training. At this time a trained fitness instructor should guide the child through a fitness program.

As parents and caretakers, you have a major role in your kid's health. Always remember that they are still kids and you can't be with them all the time. They will still eat some junk food. You just need to limit as much of the junk food as you can.

As fitness goes, make it fun for them! Always give them the choice of what activities they want to participate in. Set good examples for your children. They tend to learn through the actions of adults!

Before your child starts any fitness program, make sure they get a physical examination and doctors consent to exercise.

Until next time, stay Healthy and Fit!

Jerry Del Priore , has four years experience as a Personal Trainer. He currently is working in a Recreation program with disabled kids in a foster care and adoption agency in Manhattan and a has a Bachelor Science degree in Sports Medicine.