The Couch is Calling

Okay, okay, enough already. We’ve heard all the statistics and gloom-and-doom predictions about childhood obesity and the horrors that will befall American children if they don’t change their habits. Like those from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that say that nearly 14% of preschoolers are now overweight (up from five percent in the early 80s), with the prevalence of overweight at 18.8% for kids six to 11, and 17.4% for kids 12 to 19.

And yeah, we’ve heard all the reasons too – too many hours of mind-numbing and muscle-flabbing TV and video games, and not enough physical activity. University of Michigan’s Fitness for Youth program estimates that the average kid gets just 15 minutes of vigorous activity a day, spends 20% of his or her waking hours watching TV and drinks about 20 ounces of soda a day. Keep up habits like these, say researchers from Johns Hopkins University, and 75 percent of Americans will be obese or overweight by 2015.

But come on, that’s not my kid they’re talking about! We’re pretty active … I think. We’re outside playing or riding bikes every chance we get … except that it’s been months since our endless Cleveland winter afforded such an opportunity. And when the temperature drops and the snow starts to swirl, there’s nothing I’d rather do than heed the call of the couch. Yep, as much as I hate to admit it, on the average winter day in Cleveland, my kids aren’t active enough and neither am I.

So what’s a snow-bound parent to do?

For that answer, I turned to the Greater Cleveland YMCA’s Patrick Berdysz, who oversees the Y’s health and wellness programs for kids and adults and is a parent of three himself.

“It is really hard in the winter,” he says. “It’s just as much work for the parents as it is for the kids to try to keep active. The parent has to take the lead. You can’t just leave it up to the kids.”

Yet all the effort is worth it, promises Berdysz. Starting kids young with a healthy lifestyle greatly increases the chances that they’ll be fit as adults, he says, helping them avoid many of those complications of obesity that the statistics so grimly foretell. Here are a few of Berdysz’s suggestions:

Go outside. That’s right, outside. In winter. “It takes some effort on the parent’s part, but as long as it’s not really cold, get them dressed appropriately and go outside,” says Berdysz. Play snow tag, make a snowman, do a scavenger hunt, find a good sledding hill or just pull each other around on the sled.
Avoid routine. “Parents need to think creatively,” he says. “Set up little events inside like a mini-decathlon with a reward for completing it, like going to the movies.” Just don’t make it seem like work. “Kids don’t like exercise routines. Have plenty of unstructured play and be sure to make it fun.”
Be a good role model. “Healthy parents have healthy kids. Kids model their parents,” he says. “From the food that you buy to the habits you have, your kids are watching.” If you work out when the kids are at school or sleeping, it might not always be realistic to have them see you being active, “but talk to them about what you do to stay healthy and if you can get them involved, that’s great,” says Berdysz.

Not surprisingly, Berdysz also recommends that parents check with their local YMCA, rec center, family center or JCC to explore classes, programs or sports leagues for kids. The variety of choices out there might surprise you – joining the standard recreational basketball leagues, karate classes and swimming lessons are exercise classes with kid appeal, such as the Y’s Smart Start or Iron Kids (http://www.clevelandymca.org) or the Mandel JCC’s Teen Zumba or Cycle Mania (http://www.clevejcc.org). Some for-profit fitness clubs like Hudson’s Life Center Plus (http://www.lifecenterplus.com) also offer kid-oriented fitness programming.

If your kids are too young, or if you don’t have the time or resources to commit to a class, look for a facility near you that hosts an Open Gym event, where for little or no cost you can let the kids run off their winter energy in indoor wide open spaces. Churches, parks, schools or even libraries in your area may also offer spaces or programs to encourage kids’ fitness.

A variety of businesses have also sprung up throughout Northeast Ohio to meet the need for indoor active play. Check out Medina’s Rockin’ Robin’s Amazone (http://www.myamazone.com), an indoor playground and arcade, and Woodmere’s CHABAM (http://www.chabam.com), which stands for “Children Have Active Bodies and Minds.” Pump It Up (http://www.pumpitupparty.com), an indoor inflatable center usually available only for private parties, offers limited open hours to allow kids to jump ‘till they drop. And while Playground World (http://www.pgworld.com) makes the play structures that drive backyard summer fun, they also have indoor showrooms at three of their Northeast Ohio locations with limited open play hours.

When all else fails, head to a mall with an indoor play area – skip the stroller rental and have them walk there – or find the nearest fast food restaurant with a play structure. And next time you’re looking for something fun for the family to do together on a Saturday night, skip the sedentary activities like the movies and try something active instead. Go ice or roller skating, find the nearest rock climbing wall, go swimming at your community’s indoor pool, or even go bowling.

Next time the couch calls, tell it you and your kids went for a walk.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Jennifer Keirn jenniferkATwowway.com
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