If children learn the importance of exercise and eating a well balanced healthy diet, early on in life, it will be a habit that they keep forever.
With modern life being lived often on a chair in front of a computer screen, keeping fit is vitally important.
More and more children are obese and action must be taken before it is too late, as a whole generation faces the risk of heart disease and all the other associated medical problems.
Parents should take the lead and set an example for their family to follow.
The key to a regular exercise is workout routine and once you can fit a chosen activity in a regular school day or between weekend chores then you are halfway there. Most humans are creatures of habit and a daily walk or run is a great way to start.
Swimming is a great form of exercise that is good for the whole body; it is also a lot of fun. Teach your children to swim as young as possible so they can be confident in water. If you want most local swimming pools will provide lessons at a very reasonable rate and sometimes schools provide this as well.
Healthy competition, in any sport, helps to keep the young motivated but do not push them too hard, otherwise you will remove any enjoyment that they are having. Teach them everything they want to know and if they have an obvious love of water sports there are many opportunities available to them.
Check out the local sports facilities and there is bound to be something that will appeal to your children, especially during the school holidays. In the Summer there are many organized camps all over America providing outdoor activities to keep parents stress free and to make kids happy.
There are so many different sports and pastimes your child will find something they like, maybe gardening or something other than a sport might appeal to them more. Dancing is another popular way of keeping fit, as is combat training and aerobics.
Do not rely on children getting sufficient exercise in school, with so many subjects now being taught in modern schools, often the basics like cooking and exercise are forgotten about. Usually there is just not enough time or empty slots in the curriculum.
Some sports involve a lot of equipment but be wary of buying too much until you are confident that the enthusiasm will last long enough to get the benefit. Most exercise equipment can be either hired or borrowed before making a big financial commitment.
