Monday, October 12, 2009

Pedometers Can Help Keep Kids Healthy

By Henry Calhoun

Several studies done have shown that daily activity is increased by wearing a pedometer for adults but also has been shown to be an asset for kids. The pedometer works by giving encouragement to be physically active for adults and kids alike.

Daily exercise is essential for a healthy body with 10,000 steps, which is about 5 miles, being the recommended distance to walk and when this information became common knowledge, adults from all walks began walking with their pedometers attached to their waist. The bonus is for those trying to lose extra pounds the walking boosted their results and those who were not did the walking for general health.

Many kids today are overweight or even obese. The reason for this is that children nowadays spend more of their time playing indoors, because of activities like video games, using the computer or watching TV. In the past children were not as heavy, because they also spent a lot more time playing outdoors and this inactivity of overweight kids today is also resulting in more and more overweight adults. The solution is simple and that is that kids simply need to be more active. However, accomplishing this is not as easy and that is where pedometers can be of help.

Since pedometers have worked so well for adults, it was believed that they could do the same for kids. Human beings are all the same, no matter their age, when it comes to wanting to feel accomplished for their actions. When it comes to being active, a pedometer is a way to see that you are accomplishing something. You get an instant read out showing just how many steps you have taken and when giving a goal of steps to reach, you are more likely to try to reach that goal.

Getting kids to use a pedometer is not too difficult. Parents can simply make it a type of game. They can tell them what the pedometer does and how it works. They can then tell them that their goal is to reach a certain number of steps every day. If they reach their goal then they get a reward. This can work a lot like a potty training system where the parent charts their success and rewards them for it. Kids will think it is fun and they will work very hard to reach their daily goal.

Using a pedometer is a fun way for parents to encourage their kids to be more active, without actually having to push them outside to play. Kids will be less likely to resist and more likely to increase their activity. It is a win-win situation. In the end, though, the biggest reward from kids using pedometers is that they are getting healthier and losing excess weight. They are being active and that is something that will stick with them for a life time.

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