We all know young kids like to move – all the time, anywhere.  Anybody who has tried to strap a toddler into their car seat knows the howl of rage and super-human muscle strength that toddler will expend to get out of that car seat.  They don’t want to sit still!  Pre-schoolers and early elementary kids are happiest when they are doing large muscle activities – running, climbing, jumping, spinning.  They love to play.

 A new study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that even nine and eleven year olds move for at least an hour a day (the starting recommended guideline), with the average kid moving around for three hours. 

So what happens when these kids (even the most active ones) reached the teen years?  Their activity level drops off tremendously, down to where only 31% of teens were moving at least one hour a day during the week and only 17% moved around that much on the weekend.

The body that was built and craved activity during toddlerhood is the same body that is glued to a chair in front of a screen in the teen years.  Opportunities for sports and gym time at school also contribute.  The problem is we know what awaits the non-exercising kids when they reach adulthood – a host of physical and even emotional problems – obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attacks.  We see it starting now where doctors are recommending starting kids as young as eight on drugs for high cholesterol.  This generation might be the first that has a lower life expectancy than their parents.  If you ever needed a reason to say No to inactivity and bring balance to your kids’ lives, this is it.  Give your kids a healthy future, get them active.  Any ideas?

Dr. Dave