By Melody Reed

With child obesity becoming such a problem around the country it is more important than ever to keep your child/children active. Of course staying active is only half the battle as maintaining a healthy diet is equally important to the overall fitness of a child. However, for now we will focus on why it is so important to keep your son or daughter active and the ways in which you can do it.

Benefits of an Active Lifestyle

There are so many benefits that a child can receive from engaging in an active lifestyle. The primary, and most obvious, are the physical health benefits a child gains. Along with battling childhood obesity, physical activity helps a kid build muscle and stronger bones. Staying active can even help children prevent future health issues as it leads to lower cholesterol and blood pressure along with a decreased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. While these physical health benefits have been well documented, there are also some non-physical perks a child can gain from staying active. It has been shown that kids who stay physically active are actually more likely to stay alert and successful in school. There are also emotional benefits to be gained; as a child can build self-esteem through success in physical activities such as sports. Although you may know about all the wonderful rewards of an active lifestyle for your kid, it may still be difficult to get them motivated and keep them active. Here are a few tips that can help you be successful.

Set a Good Example

As with most other aspects in life, your child will tend to emulate you. This is why it is important that you set a good example for your kid by having being active yourself. You don’t have to live in the gym to do this, simply show your child that you too are staying active and moving. If you spend most of your day in front of the TV then your son/daughter is likely to do the same. Setting this example will not only motivate them to be active now, but also set good habits for the future.

Provide Opportunities for Kids to Stay Active

You want to give kids as many opportunities as possible to be active. One way to do this is to get them involved in sports and other physical activities. It is important that you find something that they are interested in or find fun, because this will increase the chance that they stick with it. You should always provide praise for success in any activity as it will inspire the child to continue to strive for acknowledgement. Another easy way to provide opportunities is to get outside. There are many more opportunities for a kid to be active outside and they are more likely to want to be active.

Make Activities Fun

This may be the most important aspect of motivating a child to be active. This is because keeping activities interesting and fun is what keeps a kid committed to them. One way you can do this is by involving the entire family. Getting the whole family involved shows the child that the activity is fun and everyone wants to do it. Another way to keep things fun is to have your kid bring a friend along. You can also allow your child to pick the activity. Putting them in charge gives them a chance to do something they enjoy doing and it doesn’t feel like you’re forcing them to do it.

Healthy Diet and Vitamins

As mentioned at the beginning of the article, it is also very important that your child maintains a healthy diet. A healthy diet, along with physical activity, will go a long way towards your child’s overall health. As far as vitamins and supplements go, I would suggest supplements for vitamin D above all others. There are not many foods with high levels of vitamin D and this leads to many kids having deficient levels of it. These supplements can be important because vitamin D helps build strong bones and protects against cancer.

Keeping your child/children active can seem like a difficult task; but it’s very important and these tips can help make it easier. It is recommended that a child engages in physical activity for least one hour every day and doing so will promote a healthier lifestyle. If you pair this with a healthy diet and the proper supplements you should have a strong and healthy child.

– Ten years ago, Melody Reed made a lifestyle change and decided to lose 80lbs. Now she tries to promote healthy lifestyles in adults and children with Eden Pond who supplies (health supplements).