According to a recent article by the Los Angeles Times, “Getting kids to exercise more and cut down on television watching can dramatically reduce their risk of being overweight. No surprise there. We even know just how much activity they should have and how little TV they should watch.
And still the job is apparently Herculean for kids to do and parents to enforce.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that boys take at least 13,000 steps per day, and limit their TV time to two hours per day.
In a study of 709 Minnesota and Iowa children (ages 7 to 12), 20% of the girls that followed the recommendations were overweight. Of the girls who did not follow the recommendations, 35% to 40% were overweight.
So, what does this all mean? We need to encourage our kids to take “steps” everyday in the fight against child obesity. No matter what their fitness level, simply walking can be done by most anyone. Using a pedometer, can help set goals, track success and make fitness fun.