Growing up, I am not going to lie, I didn't play outside as much as some other kids did. I was one of the younger kids on my block, if not the youngest, so I often got "left out" of the older kids' games. But I do have clear recollections of playing games of tag, sprint races, hide & go seek and general Let's Pretend games.
Today a lot of kids participate in organized sports, but do they PLAY sports? And what about the kids who don't practice competitive sports? Are they playing outside? I don't see it much in my neighborhood. In fact, I don't see many people in my neighborhood at all.
Yesterday my daughter & I were PLAYing volleyball - meaning, we were "peppering" the ball back and forth between the two of us. There was running and falling, laughing and sweating going on. Down the street there was one man mowing his
own lawn. I know there are lots of kids who live on my street, so I was surprised they weren't outside.
We all know this: obesity is on the rise. We can see it. At the malls, amusement parks, and at the schools. More and more people - and kids are people - are becoming F-A-T. But I should have more tact: with more adipose tissue being carried on our frames, we are seeing more metabolic diseases. Children with diabetes is not shocking, but children with Type II Diabetes
IS. This used to only be seen in adults: people who ate poorly enough & to lived sedentary enough for
30 or 40 years to develop insulin resistance and ultimately diabetes.
American kids are rapidly outperforming all the previous generations in developing diseases associated with lifestyle choices. This is not something we want to continue.
September is Childhood Obesity Awareness Month: do what you can to curb this trend and even turn it around for future generations. Take your family for a walk tonight after your family dinner. Or shoot some hoops at the school playground. Or play some volleyball.
Just get out there and PLAY.
