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The Bad News About Couch Potatoes
An Excerpt
By Rae Pica
our children are active enough. (One study showed that parents consistently rated their children as more active than teachers did even though there was no evidence the children's activity levels were actually higher at home.) So, if your initial response to the concept of sedentary children was, "That's not possible. When I was a kid...," maybe you need to consider the issue a bit further.
It's true that, once upon a time, children ran and skipped, climbed trees, jumped rope, played hopscotch and rode their bicycles for blocks. Most likely, you remember some of that yourself. Before you were old enough for school, it seems you were never indoors! You and the neighborhood children ran screaming through each other's yards and even down the middle of the streets. You raced each other to the slide and the swings, chased butterflies and got filthy rolling around on the ground.
Then, once you were in school all day, the instant the bell sounded, you ran all the way home, shed your good clothes and were out the door again. You played touch football, hide 'n seek and tag. And you stayed outside until forced to come in. It's no wonder no one ever worried about your getting enough exercise!
But does all that activity bring to mind what your own children are doing? Probably not. Today's children are often in childcare from the time they're infants. At the very least, they start "school" at age 3 or 4. Their days are organized for them practically from dawn to dusk. And they don't walk – let alone run – to and from school. They either take buses or their parents drive them. (Parents drive kids everywhere these days.)
Once home, even preschool
Want to see more?
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- The Terrible Dangers of Childhood Obesity: An Excerpt From The Highly Healthy Child by Dr. Walt Larimore
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- Talk about it!