Youth fitness has declined steadily over the past couple of years (“Promoting Youth Fitness” 1). This is one reason why childhood obesity has increased drastically. This is because children have gradually shifted away from physical activities towards the screen. Young people spend most of their free time watching television, surfing the internet and playing video games. At the same time, fast foods are the main diet, with packed school lunches and vending machines. This is further aggravated by the neglect of health and physical education classes in many schools. The solution lies in getting kids excited about the idea of exercising.
It is simple things that get kids excited about fitness. One such factor is doing things as a family or team. For example, kids always want to help their parents around the house and compound with chores. The same applies to fitness. Children will be excited to go for a jog with their parents. Children love to going to the playground and playing together with their parents or other family members. At the same time, off-field activities such as hiking in the woods, canoeing, and riding bikes is always attractive to children (Carson 1). This is because kids enjoy performing such tasks. Sports and competitions also excite children. For example, weekly sporting competitions such as matches and athletics around the neighborhood can be very exciting to children.
Therefore, physical education and sports should be integrated into the school curriculum. In addition to this integration, sporting activities have to be mandatory for every student. For example, inter-class competitions can go a long way in improving youth fitness. College sporting competitions and leagues also are integral in promoting physical activity among the young people. Initiatives such as sport scholarships usually encourage more people to participate in sporting activities and this improves fitness among young people.
Works Cited
Carson, Carole. Fitness: How to Get Your Kids Excited About Staying Active. CBC News, 28 April 2010. Web. 06 Feb. 2013.
Promoting Youth Fitness. Nationwide Children’s, 2012. Web. 06 Feb. 2013.
