Unless they think about it, they can go an entire day without being physically active. Another complicating factor is the number of schools that have phased out mandatory physical education after the middle-school years. Unfortunately, he says, the solutions won t be easy, and the problem is likely to get worse. Kids are going to play video games and watch all of these television programs despite all of our best efforts. As Keith sees it, part of the solution should involve re-introducing mandatory physical activities in the public schools, especially in middle schools and high schools.
Parents even can develop creative ways to help their children become more physically active.
It doesn t have to be as structured as sports, but it has to be something that keeps you moving and burning calories, such as bicycling, walking and gardening. Studies have shown obese children have an exceptionally hard time losing weight and following through with lifestyle changes in adulthood when their health, and even their lives, may depend on them all the more reason why parents should encourage kids to remain physically active throughout childhood, Keith says.