A Nurse’s Warning: Our Kids Need Exercise

With only 1 in 3 children participating in a physical activity every day, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, perhaps the classic book “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” should have an updated version: “If You Give a Kid a Smartphone.”

People are often afraid to take a deep, personal glimpse into their habits or their children’s habits that are taking root and to make important changes from there.

As a nurse, I often feel like a circus ringmaster, with the “carny lingo” minus the top hat and tail coat, broadcasting attention to children’s health: “Ladies and gentlemen, can I have your attention, please?”

Yes, I am speaking to you — the parent, the shopper, the buyer of groceries, the one hauling your kids around in a minivan, the purchaser of drive-through dinners, the master of the remote control. You are in charge of your child’s destiny.

It may be hard to believe, but there is no magical way that kids are becoming obese, getting diabetes and heart disease, and having their gallbladders removed. We are the supply chain and our children eat what we buy; they would lie around all weekend long if we let them. (Don’t you remember being a kid? We’re not that far removed.)

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“As a society, we tend to think that children are immune to the consequences of behaviors, things we know as adults aren’t good for us,” Ginger Vieira, a Vermont-based personal trainer, yoga instructor, cognitive coach, diabetes author and mom, told LifeZette.

“Kids need a reasonable amount of regular exercise to stay healthy, just like adults, and kids need real food to stay healthy, just like adults,” Vieira added.

Which is why it saddens me to see 5-year-olds who weigh twice as much as they should, while their moms stand on the sidelines with a bag of barbecue pork rinds hanging out of their purse.

Why are we pretending our children’s health is someone else’s fault or responsibility?

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I’m certainly far from perfect, and my family has its own guilty pleasures, but I am aware there has to be a system of checks and balances.

We are not talking Olympic training for toddlers here. But how early is too early to encourage movement?

Parents should be aware of how much exercise their child is getting “the moment that kiddo can crawl. Even a toddler can spend way too much time in a high chair being babysat by the television,” said Vieira. Exercise helps “every part of a child’s mind and body develop.”

“Running around a playground, being creative, laughing, chasing, building and climbing” are simple and intuitive for a child, added Vieira. Kids have the innate ability to run (even under the age of 2) when we give them the open space to play. “It is never too early for a child to get exercise — in fact, it’s essential.”

According to Healthychildren.org and the American Academy of Pediatrics:

• Only 1 in 3 children are physically active every day.
• Less than 50 percent of the time spent in sports practice, games, and physical education class involves moving enough to be considered physical activity.
• Children and teens spend more than 7 hours per day on average using TVs, computers, phones, and other electronic devices for entertainment.
• About 1 out of 3 children is either overweight or obese in the U.S.
• Overweight teens have a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight or obese adults.

While some parents have flipped the switch and become overly obsessed with their child’s wellness — others remain blissfully ignorant of their choices and the implications of those choices on their growing child’s emotional and physical well-being.

We can teach wellness to families, but in order for it to stick, children need to experience the positive associations that come with eating right and exercising for themselves.

Jewels Doskicz is an Arizona-based registered nurse with 20 years of experience. A passionate patient advocate and health consultant, she has lived with Type 1 diabetes since she was 13.