Parent's Responsibility

This article was first published in the June 2007 issue of Paducah Parenting Magazine. I thought I would share it again:

Family Fitness, a father’s responsibility
By Chase Karnes, NSCA-CPT

“Dad, let me hang from your arm again!” I remember those days just like it was yesterday. Riding side by side with my dad, his muscles seemed enormous. He would flex his bicep; hold it to the side, as I hung high above the truck seat. I must not have been much older than four at the time. All little kids look up to their dad and want to be just like them. I was no exception.

From a young age I was very active. My dad and I hardly ever watched television or sat around the house. If we weren’t in the yard playing games or riding bikes, we were in the basement working out or wrestling. I got my first weight set when I was around seven-years-old. No, it wasn’t a real set of weights; it was a plastic barbell with plastic weights and some dumbbells! I would lie side by side in the basement with my dad as we lifted rep after rep. Boy did I feel like a grown up! As I got older the activities only seemed to increase. He would tell me about his ‘glory days’ of high school football and baseball which served to spark my interest in sports even more. I became involved in organized sports as soon I was old enough to be eligible and participated all through middle school, high school, and still do.

If all the sporting activity I’ve mentioned so far wasn’t enough we where also heavily involved in hunting and fishing. Hunting and fishing may not seem like a physical activity but it’s what I consider non-structured, physical activity. Walking two miles through the woods, climbing up a 25 foot ladder to the top of a tree, climbing back down and walking two more miles to the truck is definitely a physical activity.

What worries me about kids today is that they aren’t getting the physical activity that my generation (and I’m in my twenties) and earlier generations such as my parents got. Now, I’m afraid that some of you will be offended by this next paragraph but, if you are, it’s probably because it’s at least partially true and applies to your family. Too many parents let the television and video games “baby-sit” their kids. Imagine the worst scenario: Your children sit down with their “Little Debbie” snack cake, 20 oz. bottle of Coca Cola and the television takes over. Four hours later its bedtime. They skipped supper because they where too full from all the junk food. Their insulin levels spiked with the surge of sugar, then crash, and its time to sleep. Some children continue this pattern day in and day out. Oh, and don’t forget the weekends - its even worse on the weekends. TV and video games for 8 – 10 hours a day.

For some kids out there this is exaggerated, but for others it fits exactly. 64% of adults in the United States are overweight or obese . 2 in 10 children are obese and 6 in 10 are overweight. That is over 60% of all children in the US. The obesity in pediatrics is increasing at an alarming rate . If childhood obesity continues into the adult years there is an increase in serious illness and death . Children with obese or overweight parents have a much higher chance of becoming overweight or obese.

These are the facts and I think you, their parents, are in the position to help turn these numbers around. Here are a few things to think about: Ten years down the road do you want to be able to play with your kids? Twenty years down the road do you want to be able to play with your grandkids? Forty years down the road do you want to be able to functionally get around? For some of you, if you don’t make some drastic lifestyle changes, that sadly might not happen. For others if you don’t change your children’s habits and lifestyle you will end up outliving your children!

Kids are now recommended to get at least 60 minutes of exercise daily . That exercise can be split up into 6 - ten minute bouts or 60 minutes all at once - it really doesn’t matter. It can be in any way, shape or form. If their heart rates are elevated and it is working their muscles then that’s all it takes. And, make it fun; exercise doesn’t have to be something that is dreaded. But getting sufficient exercise is just half of the problem. Poor nutrition choices are the other side of the issue. Getting your children to eat a healthy diet can certainly be a challenge. This is an actual page from the food-log of a pre-teen:

7:00 am– Mountain Dew – 16 oz.
8:00 am – Mountain Dew – 16 oz., French toast bites with butter and syrup
10:00 – Pepsi, chips from the vending machine, bag of skittles
12:00 – 2 mountain dews, 2 slices of pizza with pepperoni, 3 small things of ranch dressing (pizza dipped into), 2 boxes of French fries, 2 Kit Kat bars
1:30 pm – Pepsi- 16 oz.,
2:30 pm – mountain dew, bag of skittles,
6:00 pm – 3 hot dogs with ketchup and bun, French fries, 2 glasses of lemonade, handful of M –n- M’s
9:00 pm – bowl of chocolate ice cream, handful of M & M’s

It is amazing the huge amount of sugar and fat taken in during a 24 hour period. Not even to mention the lack of nutritional value. Frankly - it’s ridiculous!

I think we can all agree that kids should be eating healthy, nutritious food; not sugar laden treats and fatty meals. Its time to put a stop to the kind of eating detailed in the log and many local schools are trying to help. (We need to encourage them even more.) The other place your children are getting this food is, believe it or not, your own home. (If you know someone whose house is stocked only with optimal food choices and yet who is not healthy and lean, look under their bed.) The bottom line is that your house must contain foods which are going to help you and your family become healthy and stay healthy. Since most people spend more time at their home than any other place, the only way to accomplish that is to eliminate that temptation. The best way to eliminate all that temptation from your home is… throw it away. I mean literally take a trash bag and fill it up with anything that isn’t going to help you and your families’ health. Being healthy is a lifestyle choice and for some, takes drastic changes. However, the beauty is that the changes required are realistic and can be accomplished. There is a time and place for foods that aren’t healthy but it is not in your children’s schools or your home. Some popcorn and a candy bar once a week at the movies is fine - some popcorn and a candy bar every night before bed is not! I could go on and explain, in much greater detail, about the approach to good nutrition but it would take a lot more space then I have in this article.

As a fitness professional, I have the obligation and opportunity to help you and your children become more active. The epidemic of childhood obesity and its associated lifelong health issues are now getting some much needed attention by the media, but I still feel that not enough is being done about it. It’s time to step up and take control of your life and your children’s life. You should voice your concern on the amount of physical-education time kids are allotted at school. You should voice your concern on the pizza and burgers they are served for lunch at school. But most importantly YOU should take control of your own life and health, make smart choices and be a role model to your kids.

As a father, like it or not, you are a role model and if you are active and healthy, the chances are your children will be too. You can lead your family by example; protect them from the illness and injury that obesity and a poor diet will cause. Find ways to keep your kids active outside of school in sports clubs, teams, or other forms of physical activity: Take them on a bike ride, throw a football at the park, or teach them to swim. It’s time to step up, make a difference, and help your kids live a healthier lifestyle. It has to start somewhere; it has to start sometime. What better place than with you, what better time than now. I wish you all a happy and healthy Fathers Day.