One out of 5 American children is obese and the numbers keep going up. Lack of exercise is one cause for the weight problems epidemic and it is a accurate epidemic that threatens well being. In reality, this may be the initial generation of children in background not to outlive their mother and father because of weight problems.

Children can play outside when the climate is good. What can they do when the climate is bad? Physical exercise is one way to combat the weight problems epidemic and these indoor actions wll keep your children moovin’ and groovin’. Your children could:

- Walk up and down stairs ten times in a row.

- Dance to audio with their friends.

- Draw a hopscotch box with chalk on the garage floor and play with brothers, sisters, friends, even their mother and father.

- Walk each and every aisle in the grocery store.

- Jump rope in the garage.

- Trip a stationery bike if you have one.

- Go for an inside walk at a mall. Your children should go about twice if they can.

- Do jumping jacks in the basement.

- Become stretching champs. They could touch their toes without bending their knees, bend one leg backwards and maintain their foot with their hand, or twist from side to side without relocating their feet.

- Play ping pong with the family members.

- Trip a scooter or roller blade in an empty garage.

- Consider one,000 steps inside the home and track these steps with a pedometer.

- Physical exercise in the college gym on weekends. (Get permission initial.)

- Walk the indoor skyway system if your city or town has one.

These are just a couple of ideas. If you brainstorm with your children you’ll probably arrive up with much more. Your children might want to begin a Moovin’ and Groovin’ Club. Now that would be cool.

Copyright 2005 by Harriet Hodgson. To learn much more about her work go to www.harriethodgson.com

Harriet Hodgson has been a nonfiction author for 26 years. Her current work focuses on well being and she is a member of the Association of Healh Treatment Journalists. She has created two well being publications for children in grades three-five, Meals Label Detective and Catching the Physical exercise Thief. Each exercise publications had been published by Minnesota Medical Association Alliance. A member of Mayo Clinic’s Action on Weight problems Task Force, Hodgson has presented at two weight problems summits and continues to create well being resources for children. Her 24th guide, Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief, co-authored with Lois Krahn, MD, is available on amazon.com