Best Fitness Blog

...By Karli Taylor

September is Childhood Obesity Awareness month. As families and communities it is our job to keep children fit and active by setting a good example. A great way to make and keep healthy habits is to involve the whole family.

Come up with fun and creative ideas for the whole family. After dinner, rather than watch tv, come up with ideas for physical activity. Enroll the whole family in a fitness class, like tennis lessons, karate, or parent/child yoga. If you don’t have extra money to spend, Fall evenings are great for a family walk or bike ride around the neighborhood.

Eating healthy is one of the most important pieces to the puzzle. Instead of high-calorie foods and snacks, turn to fruits and other healthy foods for something to munch on in between meals. Let your children see you being aware of what you are eating, and involve them in the meal planning and cooking if possible.

In order to cut down on television habits, keep the television out of your child’s bedroom. The American Academy of Pediatrics says that kids from 1 to 5 years who have televisions in their bedrooms watch nearly five hours more TV and videos each week than children without TV, and they are more likely to be overweight.

When all your friends and relatives ask what your child wants for a birthday gift, think fitness. Ask for a soccer ball, baseball gloves and bases or roller blades. These are fun gifts that promote outside activities.

Take your kids with you for a gym workout. If they are old enough to participate, it is worth the guest fee. It is important for your kids to see you fit exercise into your routine.

Even adding basic activity to your daily life can help keep kids healthy. Park far away from the grocery store door and walk, take the stairs rather than the elevator. It is important to instill healthy habits in our kids now. Keep your children healthy and fit, go for a walk around the neighborhood tonight.

Visit one of our Best Fitness Clubs to learn even more about this topic. We have locations in Albany,NY, Tonawanda, NY, Schenectady, NY, Erie, PA, Nashua, NH, Chelmsford, MA, and Drum Hill, MA.

...By Karli Taylor

According to a recent study conducted by the YMCA of America, 74 percent of children ages 5-10 get less than an hour of exercise every day. The majority of parents surveyed blamed financial hardship, technology and lack of time for the decline of youth fitness. In my opinion, there are a few things wrong with this explanation.

First of all, technology costs money. Computers and video games are expensive. A lot more expensive than a pair of sneakers to wear outside to play. Not only do these things cost money, but they also take time to use.

If parents limited their child’s access to video games, television and the internet, not only would there be some money for extracurricular activities, but there would be plenty of time as well.

As parents and authority figures, have to set an example for our children through our own actions. Less than 20% of American adults are physically active 3 or more days a week. How do we expect our children to understand the importance of fitness if we do not practice what we preach? A child who grows up with parents who belong to a health club or a running group, who play in adult sporting leagues or participate in any regular physical activity will see this behavior as normal.

It’s understandable that in these financial times, parents have to work more to support a family. I won’t argue that point. What they do with their children during the valuable family time that they get, however, is the key to creating good habits that will be carried into adulthood. If a parent comes home from work every night only to sit on front of the television with the family, not only will there be no physical activity, but there will be very little meaningful interaction. Why not go for a walk as a family after dinner? Play a game of basketball in the driveway or wiffle ball in the back yard. Find anything physical that you can do as a family and commit to at least 2 nights a week. It’s not enough, but it’s a great start!