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- Encourage children to play with other children and to do active
things with family members. Most communities have locally organized
activity programs after school, on the weekends, and during
the summer. Since gym class and team sports are not every child's
cup of tea, encouraging individual interests such as ice skating,
ballet dancing, or skateboarding are important, too.
- It's important
for parents to talk with children about their activity patterns.
Children should be active for at least 60 minutes on most days.
Sedentary activities, such as TV watching and computer time,
should be limited except when homework requires it. It is estimated
that, on average, U.S. preschoolers spend 23 hours a week in
front of the television and grade-school students watch for 29
hours each week. Add to this the time spent playing video games,
using the Internet, doing homework, and eating dinner-and many
kids spend a lot of time sitting still.
- Encouraging children to
adopt a healthy, vegetarian eating style and teaching them to
enjoy being active are likely the most important lessons children
can learn for their long-term health.
Families can also put energy
toward helping to improve “get
healthy” opportunities for children in schools. Many schools
are under financial pressure to downsize health and physical
education programs, so health-conscious families should support
school districts in their efforts to promote wellness and physical
education and to promote healthier lunches in the cafeteria.
School lunch programs are required to provide nutritious, low-cost
meals to students; parents and teachers can help school officials
understand what options should be available for children. See
www.HealthySchoolLunches.org for more information.
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