In the News: Bush Tells Parents to Get Their Kids Outside

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

06 Feb 2007 01:58 PM

Last week, President Bush warned that childhood obesity is a problem for both American families and for the country as a whole. The President was meeting with a group of business leaders in order to encourage the idea of advertising that would promote and encourage healthy food and exercise.

"One way for this nation to cope with the issue of obesity is to get people outside - whether it be through sports or hiking or conservation." President G.W. Bush

The President's also signed a proclamation declaring February as the American Heart Month. The First Lady offered her own thoughts on the subject that said: "Mothers are the ones, a lot of times; who make choices for their children. They make the choices on the foods they eat. They're the ones at home, many times, who encourage their children to exercise."

10 Million Children Are Overweight

About 18 percent of school age children in the United States are considered overweight. This number has tripled in the last two decades. Being overweight can increase your risk for heart disease, diabetes and other health problems. After the President and First Lady's meeting, the Secretary of Health and Human Services met with representatives from DreamWorks Animation and the Advertising Council in order to launch a public awareness campaign.

Called Be A Player, the campaign will feature characters from the hit movie series Shrek. The campaign is designed to get kids to get up and play for at least an hour every day.

Fit Force

In direct response to the President's remarks and meeting, Jerry Hill the founder of FitForce Camp issued a press release that parents need to do more than just encourage their kids to get active - they need to challenge their kids and keep them engaged.

"Bush is on the right track by supporting exercise that doesn't require fancy equipment. But there's more fun to be had in burning calories." - Jerry Hill

Among the suggestions Hill makes include using old tires as an exercise tool - it's creative, inexpensive and challenging. For parents who do have an old tire for their kids to work with, Hill's creative movements include:

• Tire sprints - Use a rope to wrap around your child's waist and tie the other to the tire - have them try to run or walk quickly, pulling the tire
• Tire jumps - lay the tire flat on its side in the yard and have your child jump in and then jump out - repeat!
• Beat the Tire - use a sledgehammer that your child can manage and let them swing it up and down to hit the tire

These exercises work entirely different sets of muscles in your child's body and they are not quite the same as actually working out with equipment. They are designed more around the idea of having fun and playing - besides, when was the last time you met a kid that didn't like to beat on things. You can also hang the tire from a tree and have them shove it and keep it swinging. This can work on hand eye coordination and muscle development. Still, the best thing we can do as parents is to get active with our kids and to have them see us doing the exercises as well. Because we lead better by example than by telling them to do as we say and not as we do.

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Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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Mary Ann Romans (26876) 06 Feb 2007 04:02 PM

Interesting article. We walk to and from school, but in -1 degree weather, it is a little daunting to get outside any more than that. Perhaps February isn't the best month for this initiative? At least the seasonal states.

Heather Long (16954) 09 Feb 2007 01:06 PM

You know, that's a very fair point. We have milder weather here, but it still has days when it's very cold and wet and just not conduscive to being outdoors at all. I think it might have been better to wait until closer to spring