In my house, my wife and I found that being good role models for fitness and healthy eating works better with our 8-year-old than simply telling him to "go outside and play", or "eat your vegetables."
Even enrolling our son in team sports didn't do the trick, as far as exercise was concerned.
He got bored playing baseball, because he was standing around a lot in the outfield - not a lot of balls were hit to him. So, he opted to skip baseball this season. Therefore it was up to us to make sure Nicholas gets moving and stays active.
A recent study in the journal "Young Children" found that most kids get only 10 to 15 minutes of outdoor playtime each day. Still other research has indicated that if a child simply spends time outside, he'll be more physically active.
So with childhood obesity such a big problem, let this be the season where we refocus our attention on our children's inactivity. After all, inactive kids become inactive adults - just as studies have shown, overweight children could battle obesity for most of their lives.
Certainly, fast food and high-caloried kids meals are also a big reason our children are packing on the extra pounds. But a lack of activity is just as big a factor - especially these days.
Experts say the average child is logging 90 minutes a day in front of the TV or playing video games. It's up to the moms and dads to make sure we make lasting changes to improve our kids health.
Good luck!
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