<p style="text-align: justify;">If you&#8217;re concerned about a lack of physical activity in your kids&#8217; lives, it&#8217;s never too late to try and introduce good habits. Childhood obesity is at an all-time high, and millions of children are overweight by the time they start secondary school.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Physical activity is vital at any age for mental and physical wellbeing, so it&#8217;s important you encourage children to incorporate some sports or exercise into their daily routine. As Kids Health says, http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/exercise.html, exercise equals stronger muscles and bones.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-15219 size-full" src="https://medusamagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Picture2.png" alt="How To Get Kids Off The Couch" width="593" height="394" /></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">If you&#8217;re struggling to motivate them to get off the couch, here are some ideas.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;"><em><strong><b>Make fitness a game</b></strong></em></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">You don&#8217;t need a lot of expensive equipment to set up a game of frisbee or piggy-in-the-middle, and such games are a fantastic way for families to get a bit of exercise together while having fun outdoors. If you can round together a few friends or extended family members, set up a game of rounders or cricket in a local park or on the beach. Kids are more likely to be enthusiastic about exercise if it&#8217;s fun.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;"><em><strong><b>Find what sport they love and nurture their interest</b></strong></em></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Not everyone is good at &#8211; or enjoys &#8211; the same activities, and being forced to play a sport they are bad at and strongly dislike is never going to encourage them to exercise. Most children will excel in at least a couple of sports if given the chance, or at least they&#8217;ll find something they enjoy. This could be football, tennis, sailing, cross-country, swimming or straightforward aerobics. Encourage kids to try out different after-school activities or sign them up for taster sessions with local clubs and sports associations if they have expressed an interest in a particular activity. If there&#8217;s nothing suitable locally, set up your own casual group with neighbours or friends. You can easily buy football team kits &#8211; or equipment for any other sport &#8211; from websites such as https://www.kitking.co.uk/.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;"><em><strong><b>Limit TV time</b></strong></em></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Or smartphone, tablet or laptop time. Being sedentary is one of the worst things we can do for our health, and it&#8217;s particularly bad for children who will develop bad habits and find it harder to get fit in later life. Don&#8217;t leave children watching TV or playing console games for hours whenever they like. Set a limit for screen time and ensure you enforce it.</p>

How To Get Kids Off The Couch
