Ford Elementary school in Atlanta is starting habits early. They have designed a program to get younger kids to walk or run before class each day. The kids are given prises for the distance that cover, and they are also forming habits they don’t even realize will last them a lifetime. It is said that it takes 21 days for something to become a habit. Well, for these kids it has become one. Many of the children have even began to take to walking or running with their parents at home in addition to their morning routine. The average size of kids now would have been considered heavy 20 years ago. “Our nation’s young people are, in large measure, inactive, unfit, and increasingly overweight.” says the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Over 16% of kids today are over weight. 1/3 of high school students do not take part in any regular physical activity in a normal week. Physical activity should be strongly encouraged by parents, but not forced. The many many pros of physical activity include weight control, lower blood pressure, lower risk of diabetes and some cancers, and a huge gain in self-confidence. Exercise, along with good nutrition and proper sleep, is essential to a healthy lifestyle. Parents need to make and effort to talk to their children about taking care of their bodies. Exercise should be portrayed as fun, not work, and it should include what the kids love doing. Simple things such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, biking rather than driving, or any other substitute for our simplistic lives will make a difference. An easy 60 minutes a day is all it takes. If it’s a few minutes before school, a jog to work, or a yoga class, one out of 24 hours really isn’t that unreasonable for improving the lifestyles of adults, and children alike.

Having a fairly regular routine of being active, this article really caught my eye. Knowing what a simple hour a day can do for your body, as well as your emotional well being should be enough to get anybody motivated to involve themselves in some sort of physical activity. I think more schools should start programs to get kids into a habit of a healthy lifestyle. It is, more importantly, the parents job to get their children interested in exercise and good nutrition to better themselves in the long run. I also think that parents need to lead by example, because I know that I would question why I need to run around outside and eat carrots if mom and dad don’t have to. The best way to reverse the steady increase of childhood obesity is to start good habits early, and those will last a lifetime.