Unplug Your Kids

In the winter months it can be hard to think of fun, inexpensive ways to keep your children active and engaged, but it is not winter yet and there is still time to think seriously about how to unplug your children. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average child spends nearly 42 hours a week in front of a television or computer screen. These same children are probably also spending a few more hours each week playing hand held video games. These same numbers are echoed by the American Medical Association and the CDC. All this adds up to a seriously unhealthy lifestyle for our children and contributes directly to the teen and adult obesity epidemic so much of the Western world is now experiencing.

As if I needed any further proof of this phenomenon, the huge and unexpected storm which hit the northeast last week gave all the evidence we need. Many people were without power for over a week, yet how many children did you see outside getting active? On the day directly after the snow fall I took my daughter out to the part to sled. How many other children were at the local hills enjoying the unexpected pleasure of sledding before November? Not one. We were the only people in the park for the entire hour we were there. Two days later I headed to another, more popular location park. It was in the high fifties and sunny. Again, we were the only people there. On Sunday, we were again outdoors. In the two hours we were at the park only four other children showed up. Conversely, on several occasions I went to coffee shops and other locations which were fortunate enough to have electricity and internet connections in neighborhoods which were largely without those resources. Every single seat in those places was taken. Each with a person actively engaged with their laptop. No conversation, no activity, just connectivity. You would think the boredom alone would have driven people and especially children out to parks and recreational locations. But it was sadly not the case.

None of this is really news to anyone, but sometimes it can be tough to come up with smart ways to get yourself and your children outside and active. This is especially true if, like so many millions of today's parents, you grew up in a culture which was already embracing television and your parents never modeled outdoor and athletic activity for you. It is tougher still when the neighbor's kids are still inside watching their televisions.

Right now it is especially important to capitalize on the sunny and mild weather. Setting patterns of outdoor or physical activity now, can help keep us all motivated far longer into the darker and colder days of the upcoming months. Partner up with friends and family to get active and set the standard for daily activity. You will be rewarded with more energy and less illness when cold and flu season blows in.