Outsmart the Offspring

You’ve considered bribes, burying the Nintendo in the backyard, even cattle prods to get your kids exercising, and with good reason. Studies show that even preschoolers, who seem to be perpetually in motion, aren’t really active for more than about 1 hour a day. In fact, almost 25 percent of children 9 to 13 don’t do anything physical at all. That adds up to a major risk for obesity and diabetes.

So first, be a good, active example, then try these painless ways to get more physical activity into their lives without them even noticing.

1. Walk this way
If you live within 1 mile of school, that‚s walking distance for most kids. San Diego mother of two and 24 Hour Fitness trainer Marianne McGinnis convinced her two boys to hoof it by offering to carry their backpacks the .6 of a mile to their elementary school, which is a great workout for her, too. For more information on the international Walk to School movement, go to walktoschool-usa.org.

2. Play it up
Force them to play video games. Ah, but not the games that exercise just their thumbs.
A Mayo Clinic study found that kids who played the game Dance, Dance Revolution, which instructs kids in how to perform various dance moves by pounding their feet on a sensor mat, burned up six times as many calories as they did playing other video games. Other research found that at its most difficult levels, DDR is equivalent to cycling 12 to 14 mph. Another good choice: Nintendo Wii Sports, which comes bundled with the game system. It requires kids to mimic sports moves (swinging a bat or a tennis racquet) to move the action along.

3. Do the obvious
Many school and public playgrounds have climbers, slides, balance beams, basketball courts, and open areas where kids can play kickball, baseball, or soccer. So, use them. One study found that having that kind of equipment on a playground resulted in more physical activity for five times as many boys and six times as many girls. And no kid has ever whined, “Oh no, not the playground again.”

4. Gather some gear
Along with the requisite balls and bats, have jump ropes, hula hoops, skates, and sleds on hand to keep kids active in all kinds of weather. To survive rainy days, try Fun Slide Carpet Skates (for age 6 and up), Melissa and Doug’s Monster Bowling Game (for kids up to 5), or Playskool’s Romper Stomper (for kids 36 months to 6 years).