Being overweight can lead to low self-confidence, depression and medical conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes in children, according to MayoClinic.com. Children are more likely to gain weight if they spend free time watching television or playing video games in lieu of exercising. Devise an assortment of entertaining activities that encourage children to shed excess pounds and maintain a healthy fitness level.
Create a Contest
If your children love to compete, turn simple physical activities into contests that allow them to exercise without even realizing it. The Let's Move website suggests parking your car a greater distance from your destination, for instance, and asking children to count the steps to the door. You can also determine which child can hula hoop or jump rope the longest, score the most baskets on a park basketball court, or win relay races that require the players to run, hop or skip across the yard and back.
Play Active Games
Activities that get children off of the couch and moving around actively qualify as exercise, according to MayoClinic.com. Your kids can get physical activity by playing a game of hide-and-seek or tag, playing hopscotch, or creating imaginative or humorous dances to favorite songs. MayoClinic.com suggests keeping the children interested by letting them pick what to play so exercise will feel like a game instead of a chore. You can also let them help you devise new rules for each game to keep the activities new, challenging and exciting.
Warm Up in the Winter
If your children complain about being cold during the frosty winter months, suggest an engaging physical activity to help them stay warm and burn extra calories. KidsHealth recommends going sledding or ice skating on a frozen pond or in an indoor skating rink. If you live in a snowy climate, encourage the children to build a snow fort, make snow angels, or have a snowball-throwing contest. In rainy weather, consider hopping from puddle to puddle or taking a nature walk while using an umbrella to see what insects come out in the rain.
Stay Cool in the Summer
You can keep children active in the heat of summer with activities that allow them to keep cool while improving their physical fitness. Children can have a water balloon fight, go swimming, wash cars, or run through the sprinklers, suggests KidsHealth. Remind children to stay hydrated by drinking water when they are exercising on hot summer days.
Incorporate Hobbies
If your children are reluctant to exercise or play active games, MayoClinic.com recommends finding ways to incorporate their interests into physical activities. If your child loves nature, for instance, take a walk in the park to gather fallen leaves or rocks. You can also try such fitness ideas as walking to a store to shop, or riding bicycles to a library to check out a book.
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