A health tip by Erin Giordano, Exercise Physiologist with Sutter’s Pediatric Healthy Lifestyles Program.

For children, exercise is about having fun, not going to the gym. Still, sometimes getting children the exercise they need isn’t as easy as we think. And with a growing number of children in the United States developing type 2 diabetes, parents need to make a conscious effort to ensure their children get the physical activity they need on a daily basis.

Did you know that children should be physically active for 60 minutes each day to grow up healthy? Children who grow up being active are less likely to become overweight and will maintain an active lifestyle into their adult life. They will also have stronger bones, a healthy heart and lungs, and better coordination. Besides the physical benefits, active children are more likely to have higher self-esteem, and they are happier, more relaxed and sleep better.

So how do you get your child moving?

• Get kids involved with chores such as raking, washing the car and gardening.
• Be active as a family. Take a family bike ride, walk the dog together or play a game of tag. Besides giving your kids the exercise they need you’re spending quality time with them and setting a good example.
• Put on your child’s favorite tunes and have a dance party.
• Encourage bike and scooter riding, and playing with push toys.
• Enroll your child in an organized activity such as baseball, gymnastics, soccer or dance.
• Create an outside fun box filled with frisbees, balls, kites, bubbles and sand toys so there are plenty of things to do with they go outside.
• Limit TV and video game time and encourage your child to play outside daily.
• Go to the park.

Children as young as preschool age are studying lifetime behaviors, so lead them in the right direction and they will develop healthy habits for a healthy life.

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