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Baby,
WS • Cold

Outside

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Winter may seem like the ideal
time to hibernate. But get
those couch potato kids up
and exercising. It's good for
them (and you, too).

1p

RON GASBARRO

Special to The Jewish News

arents, have you
noticed that your
kids are not getting
outdoors enough?
Do they have sallow
complexions instead of rosy
cheeks? Are their fingers
stained from too many bags of
cheese doodles? Plus, are they
driving you batty from being
indoors all day?

You don't have to take this
— ahem — sitting down. You
can focus their youthful
energy into sports activities
that are available locally
this winter. Only first, take
care not to push your child
too hard, too fast. Just get-
ting him or her to par-
ticipate in a sport can be
enough without worrying
about the Heisman Trophy
already.
"The parent should be ex-
cited and proud of the child's
participation rather than
winning or scoring," says
Dr. Modena Wilson, associ-
ate professor of pediatrics at
the Johns Hopkins School of
Medicine and author of a

new book, Saving Children:
A Guide to Injury Preven-
tion.
Dr. Wilson says that
parents should also make
sure the person who is
coaching an athletic activity
is involved in each child's
personal growth and enjoy-
ment rather than in winning
championships.
According to the American
Academy of Pediatrics
(AAP), the sports-reluctant
child, especially one who
was previously gung-ho,
may have good reason to sit
in front of the TV all winter.
At some time, he may have
had an ebullient coach who
stressed winning over team
play. Unable to attain the
coach's demands, the child
may complain of headaches,
upset stomachs or depres-
sion at the mention of a
sport. The more the child is
forced to compete, the more
likely he will resist most
athletic activity.
Also, the child may have
been pushed into a team
sport too early in life. The
AAP figures that most kids
can start team sports by age
6. However the "best" age is

determined by the child's
physical maturity and inter-
est. Too-early involvement
can result in withdrawal
from sports, because of
boredom, pressure or failure
to live up to the expectations
of adults.
"Often, you may have to
`trick' a child to get him or
her to become more active,"
says Dr. Wilson. "Jogging or
any exercise for the sake of
exercise will not work. In-
stead, get the child involved
in playing with other chil-
dren rather than labeling it
as exercise."

Encouraging Exercise

Winter may seem like the
perfect time to hibernate but
there are sensible medical
reasons why kids need to ex-
ercise throughout the cold
weather months.
"The current health and
fitness ethic has got baby
boomers exercising, but not
necessarily their kids," says
Dr. Dan Levy, a clinical
assistant professor of
pediatrics at the University
of Maryland School of Medi-
cine and a national spokes-
man for the American Acad-

emy of Pediatrics. "Kids
don't always have gym class
in school. Without an exer-
cise program of some sort,
they can become obese and
out of shape," he adds.
Indeed, according to the
American Academy of
Pediatrics, children today
are less fit and more flabby
than in the 1960s, and

The more the child
is forced to
compete, the more
likely he will resist
most athletic
activity.

studies show that up to 50
percent of children are not
getting enough exercise to
develop healthy hearts and
lungs.
To correct this situation,
the AAP has issued a call for
more physical education
programs in schools and
greater family involvement
in fitness at home. The AAP
is especially interested in
encouraging sports that
promote fitness in kids,
which it defines as including
muscle strength, endurance,

flexibility, body fat composi-
tion and cardiorespiratory
endurance. However, many
people aren't aware of just
which sports those are.
There are sports that
stress speed, power and
agility — prime examples
are football, basketball and
baseball — in which kids
may participate through
their school's physical edu-
cation and extracurricular
athletic programs. The AAP
says these are games of skill
and, as nice as it is to be a
member of the team, they
don't necessarily promote
fitness. A body builder may
look fit but he has built only
muscle strength and could
lack in other components of
fitness.
Instead, continues the
AAP, parents and schools
should introduce children to
a variety of "lifetime" ac-
tivities (defined as those
sports that can be carried
into adulthood), such as
bicycling, swimming, runn-
ing, fast walking, aerobics
and tennis.
Similarly, Dr. Levy ad-
vocates that children get
into aerobic exercising —

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

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