Get Fit To Get Healthy
Once upon a time I read a magazine article that was discussing incorporating fitness into your family dynamic. I would quote the article, but I read it before I even had kids, which is more that six years ago. I (obviously) don't even remember what magazine it was, never mind what year I read it. Since having kids my memory has gone the way of the Dodo bird.
The one quote that I gleaned from that article was something along these lines, as quoted from a study done:
If a child is not engaged in physical activity by the age of ten, the odds of them being physically active in their twenties is less than ten percent.
This really hit home with me.
Growing up, my family was not what you would call active. Unless you call playing darts at the Royal Canadian Legion "active." (My Mom won Provincials all the time. I, however, am not one you want to be standing close to, should I be throwing darts.)
My sister and I would go swimming at the community pool on summer vacation, but that could hardly be described as exercise. There was a lot of farting around and a lot of giggling over cute boys; not so much a fitness workout.
I was what you would call a "Big Girl" while growing up. Chubby, awkward, uncomfortable in my own skin. I had not had fitness and health modeled to me by my parents. This is not a dig; they just did not know any better. I had always wished I could be like friends of mine who could eat what they wanted and still be skinny.
In my early twenties I met with a dietitian and learned a lot. I learned about healthy food choices, exercise, healthy living. I got down to a healthy weight that I was comfortable with. I was breaking the cycle of not knowing any better and getting educated in health and fitness. Then I met my future husband who was a bit of a health nut and also a bit of a basketball star. We wed five months later. No joke.
Upon reading that stat about the odds of children being active, I read it to my husband. We discussed how we would be sure to incorporate fitness into our family life once we actually had children.
Fast forward seven years and we have three children, ages six and under. Our eldest two (boys) have been in swimming lessons since they were three. Fitness is part of it, yes, but we also think that swimming is an essential skill for everyone. Throw in the fact that we live in the Okanagan and spend every summer day at the lake, and it was a no-brainer. Their younger sister will start lessons when she turns three this fall.
This is the first year that we have registered the boys in baseball and in addition to the utter adorableness of the dudes in their uniforms, it is a great thing to do as a family. The boys play, Daddy coaches, and my daughter and I cheer everyone on.
As a family, we spend a lot of time being active. We play baseball and soccer in our yard, and go for walks along the creek near our house. In the winter we go skating on the outdoor rink that my husband makes (Yes, really) and go sledding on the hill behind our house (Yes, really.)
We are a family that thrives on being outside and active. I think that my kids (and their health) will be better for it. It certainly can't hurt them in any way.
