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Turn off the TV –
and Turn on to Physical Activity!
by Rae Pica
Imagine having no television for an entire season.
Such was the case for a friend, whose mother hauled the appliance right
out of the house at the start of every summer. Surprisingly, Ola and
her siblings didn’t miss it, as they managed to keep themselves
busy in other ways. And, today, Ola is glad her mother maintained that
annual tradition, as she learned not to rely on TV to keep her
entertained. She and her two young daughters also tend to be more
physically active than other families she knows – something she
attributes directly to the amount of active play she engaged in as a
child.
Could today’s families survive as well without
the “tube?” And, if forced to go without (say, during
TV-Turnoff Week: in 2005, April 25-May 1), would they be physically
active or simply resort to another form of electronic entertainment?
Unfortunately, children today spend the better part of their waking
lives watching television. It’s been estimated that between the
ages of two and seventeen American children spend an average of three
years of their waking lives watching TV – and that doesn’t
even include time spent watching videos, playing video games, or using
the computer. That’s the equivalent of more than fifteen thousand
hours in front of the set (about a thousand hours a year) – as
compared with twelve thousand hours spent in a classroom. The end
result? A total of twenty-seven thousand hours – more than six
years of their young lives – without a whole heck of a lot of
movement.
Why be concerned? The number-one reason is that too much television
results in an unfit individual – adult or child. Dr. Kenneth
Cooper, author of Fit Kids!, reports that in 1998 researchers at San
Diego State University found that both parents’ and
children’s performance levels on a simple test of aerobic fitness
(one-mile walk/run) decreased as their viewing increased. Cooper
contends that children who watch several hours of television every day
have lower fitness levels than those who watch fewer than two hours.
Worse still, as the hours spent watching TV increase, so does the
likelihood of obesity among children and adolescents. Researchers are
discovering that the percentage of body fat increases along with the
number of hours spent in front of the tube – and that obesity is
lower among children who watch television for one hour or less a day.
The risk actually increases almost two percent for each additional hour
watched!
Of course, even children who aren’t overweight or obese can still
be unfit if they participate in too little vigorous physical activity.
Whether it’s evident on the outside or not, when the time comes
for them to exert physical energy, they’ll likely find their
muscles, heart, and lungs aren’t up to the challenge.
Once upon a time, children ran and skipped, climbed trees, jumped rope,
played hopscotch, and rode their bicycles for blocks. Most likely you
remember some of that yourself. Before you were old enough for school,
it seems you were never indoors. You and the neighborhood children ran
screaming through each other’s yards and even down the middle of
the streets. You raced each other to the slide and the swings, chased
butterflies, and got grass-stained practicing your tumbling skills on
the lawn.
Once you were in school all day, the instant the bell sounded, you ran
all the way home, shed your good clothes, and were out the door again.
You played touch football, hide-and-seek, and tag. And you stayed
outside until forced to come in. It’s no wonder no one ever
worried about your getting enough exercise!
But does all that activity bring to mind what your own children are
doing? Probably not. Today, because children’s days are nearly as
scheduled as adults’ – and they are driven, rather than
walk, everywhere – we need to “program” movement into
our daily lives.
That doesn’t have to be as challenging as it may sound. It can be
as simple as putting on some music and holding a dance party in the
living room. Make a game of Statues out of it by inviting your children
to move in any way they want while the music is playing and to freeze
into statues when you pause it. Play Follow the Leader, or break out
the pots and pans and hold a parade around the house. Play a rousing
game of Twister or simply go for an after-dinner stroll.
Once you’ve turned off the TV, you’ll be amazed at the
amount of time you have together and the creative ways you’ll
find to spend that time. Remember, though, that the most important
thing you can do is to serve as a role model. Research has shown that
parents’ inactivity may exert more influence on their
children’s behavior than being active does. So, if your children
see you sitting in front of the TV during all your free time – if
they never see you exercising or enjoying yourself as you do something
physical – your actions (in this case inactions) will speak
volumes. They’ll simply follow suit. Even if you tell them how
important it is to be physically active, they’ll have no reason
to believe you. So turn off the TV and turn on to physical activity!
Both you and your children will be glad you did.
Rae Pica has been a children’s movement specialist
for 24 years. A former adjunct instructor with the University of New
Hampshire, she is the author of 14 books, including the text Experiences
in Movement, the Moving & Learning Series, and Your
Active Child, written for the parents of children birth to
eight. Rae is nationally known for her workshops and keynotes and has
shared her expertise with such groups as the Sesame Street Research
Department, the Head Start Bureau, Centers for Disease Control,
Nickelodeon’s Blue’s Clues, and a number of state health
departments throughout the country. Rae served on the task force of the
National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) that
created Active Start: A Statement of Physical Activity Guidelines for
Children Birth to Five Years. She is also the author of “Kids in
Action,” a booklet of movement activities parents can do at home
with their children, sponsored by Kellogg, NASPE, and the
President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. E-mail
her at raepica@movingandlearning.com. |
