Play. It's a fantastic way to have fun and subconciously keep off extra pounds. Particularly, it is a fantastic way for kids to stay healthy. You usually don't want to have to lecture them at that stage of their life about "being healthy" and "staying fit." They would probably just roll their eyes. That is why playing and being active outdoors is so important. It allows them to stay healthy and while not even realizing it.

That is why it is so important that parents put their foot down when it comes to watching television. Kids need to learn while they are still young that a life in front of the television will lead them nowhere! Appeasing them and letting them do what they want (if they do prefer TV over playing; many kids simply love to be outdoors and run around, which is great) as far as watching TV will only spoil them, which is a very very bad thing indeed. They need to learn (subconciously or conciously) a life of wellness from a very early age. If they are a couch potato as a kid, chances are they will be one as an adult, giving them a huge chance of being overweight in the future.

So go out and take your kids on a hike, take them outside and play basketball, football, whatever! The great and beautiful outdoors is a wonderful gift, and it should be explored and utilized. The children of America need to be brought up in a healthy lifestyle, one that will benefit their future selves, not hurt them.

But the outdoors is a great resource of fitness for everyone, not just kids. Hiking, row boating, jet skiing, rock climbing....they're all fantastic ways to enjoy the natural world and stay healthy. Best of all, they are things that grownups and kids can do together if they want. Families and groups of friends can all go outside and enjoy an active day together.

The important thing is to get kids out from behind the television screens and out into the real world having fun. Being active is largley a natural procession from being outside having fun with friends. It promotes both mental and physical growth, and is beneficial to the kids both at then and there and in the future. Learning to live a life of physical activity and enjoyment will go a long way for the mental and physical health of our nation's children, and that is something that we should never, ever stop striving for.