Editorial: It's time to get moving

Wednesday, 01 September 2010 23:00

With summer turning toward fall, schoolchildren soon will be returning to their classrooms and books. Along with school will come homework, after-school programs and the inevitable hours spent playing video games and chatting with friends on the computer. For children fortunate enough to play on sports teams or take part in dance or karate classes, sedentary endeavors will be balanced by physical activity.

But for others, the all-encompassing worlds of the Wii, Xbox, or TV screen likely will consume much if not all of their free time.

In part, it’s up to teachers, school principals, parents and caregivers to make sure this doesn’t happen. Sending children outdoors for recess every day will ensure that they at least get a half hour or so of exercise.

It’s not the playground equipment that’s important, but rather that the children get out and move, whether it’s playing hopscotch, walking, running, or jumping rope. This is especially important, as children these days don’t get enough exercise. Many go to after-school programs rather than home after school, and others sit in front of the television or the computer.

Gone are the days of previous generations when stay-at-home moms shooed their children out to play unsupervised into the safety of their neighborhoods.

Scattered throughout backyards and sidewalks, the sound of laughter filled the air as roller skates clattered over the pavement. Children developed their large muscle coordination and burned up calories.

They often returned home with shins and knees scraped from skating, climbing trees or falling off bikes. Their moms patched them up and sent them back to play.

We now have to work to see that kids get the exercise their parents and grandparents took for granted.

Health care professionals recommend making physical exercise an essential part of children’s daily lives. They say that children should spend an hour of moderate physical activity most days of the week, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Web site, and reduce the time they spend playing video games.

Since the mid-1970s, obesity has increased sharply for both adults and children, according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

One out of seven low-income pre-school-age children is obese, based on studies conducted from 1998 to 2008 and reported by the CDC.

Most elementary schools have playgrounds, and it’s important that children get out and take advantage of the swings, slides, jungle gyms and other equipment.

For schools that don’t have working playgrounds, due to vandalism or unsafe conditions, children may at least go outside and do what they do best — hit a softball, play a game of tag or run a race.

It’s vital that we prepare children for a lifetime of good health. Getting them outdoors and exercising their growing bodies is fundamental to a successful outcome.

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