Fitness is a natural instinct for kids! When kids are young, they want to move, run, jump, race, climb, leap, hop and more! Their moves are often at a fast pace or an intense level! If it was up to the kids, they would go full force from the time their feet hit the floor until their heads hit the pillow!

So, what happens to that natural instinct? What happens to that innate motivation toward active movement? How come it seems that the older they get, the more we have to beg them to get off the couch?

Today, there is a lot of concern about childhood inactivity, childhood obesity, and childhood health concerns related to the early onset of sedentary lifestyles! We are all aware of many factors that play into this. It seems that options for active lifestyles are less available or less affordable than they were when we were kids.

I hear so many stories from parents saying things like, “When I was a kid, we would get on our bikes on Saturday morning and not come home until dinner! We would be out and active all day!” Or, “On a sunny day, there was no playing inside; my parents would make us go outside and play.” So, how come so many of us can’t seem to get our kids up and moving?

Raising active kids today may not be easy but it is possible! One way to help combat the sedentary lifestyle is to go back to the basics! When kids are young, they don’t need lots of money or even lots of time to be active at a fast pace or intense level. It just requires a little bit of intentional time and encouragement!

When my kids were young and would do some active movement, they would say, “Look at me! Watch me!” And, if I watched, they would keep on moving! My interest and encouragement were enough to keep them motivated! As the kids got older, often their “look at me” morphed into “do this with me.” I remember many times saying, “Um…not now but maybe later;” and, often, later didn’t come.

Fitness for kids doesn’t have to be crazy expensive or crazy elaborate. It just might need to be a little crazy! Crazy, silly, fun fitness may cost us a little intentional time or creativity. But, the benefits will totally be worth it!