The numbers are staggering. One out of three children in the U.S. is considered overweight or obese, and 80 percent of them will continue to be so as adults. Type 2 diabetes, once called adult-onset diabetes, is showing up in more and more children, and these youth are also more likely to have high cholesterol, high blood pressure and other health problems.
It’s enough to make any parent grab his or her kids and make a run for the hills . . . literally.
We know that exercise is a key combatant to these problems, yet it can be difficult to find the time or the drive to get active. Having a pal to exercise with is a powerful motivator. And if that pal is your child, both of you will reap the benefits of exercise and know that, together, you are building a healthier lifestyle.
“What’s cool about exercising with kids is that they watch you model the same experience,” says Stephanie Singler, one of the moms interviewed for this story. “You set yourself up as equals. It is rewarding for a child to see an adult learning something, too.”
Setting a joint fitness goal can be training for a fun run – many local races have side events for little ones – or making time for regular bike rides or walks. And programs like ACT! at the YMCA encourage family members to support each other by getting fit together. Whatever the activity, getting the whole family involved establishes healthy habits likely to endure beyond the workout.
These four local parents shared their family fitness stories with Seattle’s Child, and the wisdom they’ve learned along the way.
The Shinoda/Foley Family: Mom Inspires the Kids
Current Goal: The Bellevue PRO Sports Club duathlon (swim and run) on May 1
Sammamish mom Miko Shinoda didn’t expect to start exercising with her young girls; she was merely on a personal mission to try and shed some baby weight. She started walking, then began running, and finally felt comfortable signing up for the Iron Girl 5K at Green Lake in September 2007.
When Shinoda crossed the finish line, exhausted but triumphant, she expected her daughters to pat her on the back with a congratulatory, “Good job, Mom!” Yet what she got from Kendall and Kiera (who were 5 and 3 at the time) was a determined, “We want to do that too!”
That sealed the deal. The three made a pact to participate in the race the following year. Training mostly meant little jogs around the neighborhood, since the kids were so young. But the next September, they accomplished their goal.
“The only jogging Kiera did was from one pinecone to the next,” Shinoda jokes, “but they made it and were so proud of themselves. They were especially thrilled that they got a racing bib, “just like Mom.”
The trio has participated in the Iron Girl 5K every year since, and has encouraged other mom-and-daughter friends to train with them. Shinoda was also inspired to coordinate the running club at the girls’ school, a wildly popular group of more than 200 students at Louisa May Alcott Elementary in Redmond.
Some of these kids, including Shinoda’s girls, ran the Seattle Kids Marathon last year. The kids ran 25 miles in eight weeks before the race, and got to run the last 1.2 miles on the Seattle Marathon course. Shinoda muses, “The kids get a space blanket, goody bag and some chocolate milk and feel like they’ve won the lottery.”
Kendall, now 8, is doing races on her own with friends. A child who used to cling to her mom’s leg, Shinoda says running has given Kendall a big boost of confidence. Running has also contributed to better respiratory health for Kiera, now 6, who struggles with asthma.
Shinoda’s advice: “Pick something easy, such as a jog around a sports field, that you know for certain they can do. Next time, go a little farther, but not enough that they can’t do it because you want them to feel accomplishment.”
Also, give them more rest – and more water – than you think they need. And above all, make it fun.
The Peterson Family: Motivated by a Great Program
Current Goal: Continue going to the YMCA three times a week after the ACT! program ends.
When the Peterson family pediatrician referred both boys, ages 9 and 12, to the Actively Changing Together program at the Matt Griffin YMCA in SeaTac, it was the jump-start the family needed to get moving.
During the 12-week program, which is offered at several YMCAs, a health team teaches families new eating habits, how to create healthier lifestyles and fun ways to be active. The Petersons began in February, and the boys are responding well to the positive reinforcement from session leaders. The families also have become an encouraging support group for each other.
“Our kids wanted to join the Y, but we always put it on the back burner,” says the boys’ mom, Renee Peterson. “The minute we walked through the door they were ecstatic. They are motivated, they love working out, and it’s something we can do together.”
Before ACT!, the treadmill at the Peterson home lay idle. Exercise at home is easy to put off, and the boys would fall into playing video games. Besides, the Petersons couldn’t agree on activities they all enjoyed.
Having the right program to kick them into gear did the trick. Peterson wishes the program would continue after 12 weeks. She says the boys have felt better and have had more energy since they started exercising. And she loves that they are doing it together, encouraging and supporting each other and having fun.
“Make your children a priority and be a role model for them,” Peterson recommends. “It makes a big difference for everyone, not just the kids.”
The Singler Family: Making Fitness Social
Current Goal: Top Pot Doughnut Dash on May 1
As a certified health coach and personal trainer, Lake Forest Park mom Stephanie Singler is no stranger to the benefits of fitness. When her 10-year-old daughter, Macie, struggled with endurance on the soccer field last year, Singler encouraged her to give running a shot. She got approval from Macie’s doctor and found an online running program the two of them could try.
Singler invited Macie’s classmates and their parents out too, for motivation. The group met once a week to run at Magnuson Park, and ran twice more weekly on their own. To Singler’s dismay, though, Macie didn’t like running. Singler wanted to keep the group going, but knew she couldn’t force her daughter to participate. Eventually, Macie made the choice to join back up with the group.
“It was an interesting transformation to watch,” Singler says. “The change was truly based on her friends. At this age, sports need to be social as well as active; it just makes it more fun for them.”
Singler also recommends following an online program (like the popular “Couch to 5k” program at www.c25k.com), which are designed to build slowly so the workouts don’t seem as overwhelming.
Since running with her mom, Macie has shown more endurance and confidence in other sports. Instead of dragging her feet, she’ll ask if she can run after school.
And the group still runs together every Monday and Friday, rain or shine.
The Arthur Family: Father-Daughter Time
Current Goal: 5K at Magnuson Park at the end of May
Seattle dad Craig Arthur and his 10-year-old daughter, Abby, started with Singler’s new running group at the end of March. Abby and Macie are classmates. At the first session, Arthur was the only male in the group, with a dozen other moms and daughters. Yet he is excited about the opportunity to get in better condition with his daughter, and to spend some quality time with her.
“I’m a single dad with two kids; time is not something I have a lot of,” Arthur says. “It’s hard to get time with just one of my kids; usually it is the three of us together. When Stephanie presented this opportunity to us, I knew we needed to carve out the time.”
They started slow for the first workout, alternating between walking and jogging with a plan to build up their stamina gradually.
Abby is excited about the group because she gets to hang out with her dad and some of her other friends. Arthur is hopeful that this is the start of many years of running together.
He trusts this experience is helping them set up a healthy lifestyle that will continue. “You have to decide what’s important,” he says, “and if overall health and quality time with your kids is a priority, you have to find a way to make it work.”
