Get your children fit and have fun doing it.

It is sad that a country that has starving children is also seeing a rise in children obesity cases.

All parents want to protect their children from disease and harm. Making sure that your children have a healthy weight is a good place to start.

Obese children are more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, pre-diabetes, sleep loss, bone and joint problems, and social and psychological problems such as stigmatization and poor self-esteem. Obese children are also likely to be obese adults and therefore at risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, some form of cancers, low self esteem and stroke.

Before I blame parents, teachers, caregivers and the children themselves, I would like to acknowledge that things have changed. I was a free range kid. Playing outside was very safe and being indoors counted as punishment. As a result, I had skinny legs decorated with injuries and marks but I was very healthy and within the recommended weight range. It is hard for parents to have their children run outside with homemade toys today but it is not impossible. Below are some of the ways you can make your kids exercise without making them hate you for it:

ü  Make it fun. Kids get bored easily and if you make their exercise too structured they will hate it.

ü  Limit screen time. It is easier to let your kids watch TV because then they are so calm and you could get so much done but then they do not get the so much needed exercise. Cutting your child’s TV time might not be easy but it is worth it in the end.

ü  Lead by example. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, if one parent is obese, there is a 50% chance that their children will be obese as well. Translation, if you want your children to be healthy, be healthy.

ü  Encourage sports in school. This goes beyond signing them up for school activities. It helps when you attend their soccer games, swimming competitions, basket ball games and any other game your child is into.

ü  Mix it up. Kids get bored so quickly. They can’t even play one game for long without getting bored so when you are writing a list of activities for them, make sure they are varied.

ü  Let your children be in charge. While mixing the activities up, let your children help put the list together and the terms of exercise as a lifestyle choice. That way, they feel that they were part of the decision making and they are more likely to stick to it as opposed to when they feel like it was imposed on them.

ü  The more the merrier. If you are not very sure of how to keep your children busy and active, let me assure you that you are not alone. This means that you can look for parents in your situation and arrange play dates. Play dates not only help your kids make friends, get physical and healthy but they also mean that you take turns watching the kids play giving you time to take care of some business when it is not your turn.

ü  Get the extended family involved. I remember when I visited my grandmother every holiday and I would play with my cousins all day every day. I also got very fluent in my mother tongue and the adventures I had cannot fit in a book leave alone a blog.

ü  Incorporate chores into the exercise. Walking the dog and polishing floors are good examples of how chores and exercise could go together.

ü  Make it a family thing. This will not only help every member of the family get healthy but it will help the family bond. Talk of hitting two birds with one stone!

ü  Do it for a cause. Run a marathon or walk for a good cause. In addition to those health benefits, it will teach your children to care about others.

ü  Take time to enjoy nature. Going for hikes and walks to places that make you feel one with nature will help with creating variety and helps you get some fresh air. Ps, it also helps you get very good pictures for Instagram and Facebook.

Remember that exercise is a lifestyle thing. It is not something you do for day or two and take a year off. When choosing activities for your family’s fitness, make sure that they are sustainable.