Parents, how can you help your child be active?

Studies indicate that children whose parents support them being physically active are more likely to engage in physical activity and continue that activity into adulthood. So, how can you support them? When I was a child, my parents encouraged me to play outdoors with my brother and friends in my neighborhood. We played football in the yard and basketball on the driveway and rode bikes around the neighborhood. My parents took us swimming in the summertime and signed us up for intramural sports at school. When we got into middle school, we began playing on our school sports teams, and my parents drove us to and from practice and games. When we got into high school, at least one of them attended every one of our games. The biggest motivating factor to me, though, was knowing that they supported me in whatever activity I chose to do. Be there for your kids! Encourage them to get up off the couch and put the video games away–limit how much time they can spend gaming. Help them in some way to get involved in some form of physical activity for at least 60 minutes each day, and you will see a difference in your child. And hey, even better–try doing it with them!