Exercise Information

Exercise: How To Keep Your Kids Moovin and Groovin


One out of five American kids is obese and the numbers keep going up. Lack of exercise is one reason for the obesity epidemic and it's a true epidemic that threatens health. In fact, this may be the first generation of kids in history not to outlive their parents because of obesity.

Kids can play outside when the weather is good. What can they do when the weather is bad? Exercise is one way to combat the obesity epidemic and these indoor activities wll keep your kids moovin' and groovin'. Your kids could:

- Walk up and down stairs 10 times in a row.

- Dance to music with their friends.

- Draw a hopscotch box with chalk on the garage floor and play with brothers, sisters, friends, even their parents.

- Walk every aisle in the grocery store.

- Jump rope in the garage.

- Ride a stationery bike if you have one.

- Go for an inside walk at a mall. Your kids should go around twice if they can.

- Do jumping jacks in the basement.

- Become stretching champs. They could touch their toes without bending their knees, bend one leg backwards and hold their foot with their hand, or twist from side to side without moving their feet.

- Play ping pong with the family.

- Ride a scooter or roller blade in an empty garage.

- Take 1,000 steps inside the house and track these steps with a pedometer.

- Exercise in the school gym on weekends. (Get permission first.)

- Walk the indoor skyway system if your city or town has one.

These are just a few ideas. If you brainstorm with your kids you'll probably come up with more. Your kids might want to start a Moovin' and Groovin' Club. Now that would be cool.

Copyright 2005 by Harriet Hodgson. To learn more about her work go to www.harriethodgson.com

Harriet Hodgson has been a nonfiction writer for 26 years. Her recent work focuses on health and she is a member of the Association of Healh Care Journalists. She has written two health books for kids in grades 3-5, Food Label Detective and Catching the Exercise Thief. Both activity books were published by Minnesota Medical Association Alliance. A member of Mayo Clinic's Action on Obesity Task Force, Hodgson has presented at two obesity summits and continues to write health resources for kids. Her 24th book, Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief, co-authored with Lois Krahn, MD, is available on amazon.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Fresh News

Exercise, sleep help women fight cancer
WRAL.com, NC - 4 hours ago
I started swimming, and I exercise five times a week," Nemcheck said. Through her cancer battle, Nemcheck said she learned that exercise and sleep are keys ...
Why You Need to Exercise, Sleep Well, and Brush Your Teeth FitSugar.com
Regular Exercise Helps Elderly Cancer Survivors SmartAboutHealth
Elderly Cancer Survivors Get Benefits From Regular Exercise dBTechno
MarketWatch - U.S. News & World Report
all 573 news articles


Exercise Keeps the Brain Young
U.S. News & World Report, DC - 3 hours ago
21 (HealthDay News) -- In experiments in mice, exercise appears to reverse the decline in the production of brain stem cells usually seen with aging, ...


Telegraph.co.uk

Water aerobics help delivery go swimmingly
Los Angeles Times, CA - 2 hours ago
Although more and more doctors recommend moderate exercise during pregnancy, studies have shown that expectant mothers usually fall short when it comes to ...
Exercise 'helps women in labour' The Press Association
Aquarobics May Help Ease Labor Washington Post
Water Aerobics During Pregnancy May Make Childbirth More Bearable MedPage Today
Expressindia.com - KARK
all 92 news articles


Health Department Sets Record For Mass Dispensing Flu Exercise
Today's THV, AR - 5 hours ago
The Arkansas Department of Health set a new record for its Mass Dispensing Flu Exercise and immunized 123172 Arkansans against influenza last week. ...


Voice of America

Pakistan army stages UAV shoot-down exercise
NavyTimes.com, VA - 9 hours ago
Kyodo via AP ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s army has conducted a military exercise to shoot down drones, the Defense Ministry said Friday in the wake of repeated ...
Pakistan army flexes muscles to shoot down drone aircraft Monsters and Critics.com
Pakistani Army Tests Missile Capable of Shooting Down Drones Bloomberg
all 608 news articles


Exercise During Pregnancy May Improve Perimenopausal Fitness
Medscape - 1 hour ago
Compare exercise and fitness levels at long-term follow-up in perimenopausal women who exercised during pregnancy vs those who did not exercise during ...


Exercise caution to prevent hunting mishaps
Wausau Daily Herald, WI - 7 hours ago
Deer hunting season is here. Look in the woods and among the bare trees and falling leaves and you are likely to see a tree stand. ...


David S. Goldstein: The Exercise Corner: It's all technique!
Norwich Bulletin, CT - 10 hours ago
Although there were plenty outlandish and ridiculous, but always thoroughly entertaining segments, there was one that stood out among the exercise genre. ...


Ultimate team-building exercise: Flacco or Ryan? - NFL
ESPN - Nov 20, 2008
By Scouts Inc. The best rookie quarterback right now? The top NFL team not named the Titans or Giants? After watching all the film, Scouts Inc.'s pro scouts ...


Hot New Low Impact Exercise Videos Helping America Lose Weight Fast
PR Web (press release), WA - 13 hours ago
DanceX 'Everybody's Workout' are new exercise videos that are not for fitness junkies but for ordinary Americans who have some weight to lose but want to ...

Exercise - Google News

home | index |site map
© 2006