Kids motivate kids to go from fat to fit

Glance across any schoolyard, shopping mall, restaurant, or any other public facility and you are sure to see countless overweight children. Studies show that a significant number of those children are destined to become overweight adults in danger of developing numerous health problems, and establishing a cycle passed down from one generation to the next.

With headlines screaming that today’s youth are more out of shape and unhealthy than ever before, one has to ask what can be done to help children go from fat to fit?

A group of Springfield youths believe that the responsibility lies with parents, schools and youths themselves, and that they all must work together to help children become physically fit.

“The only way that kids can become fit is by exercising and eating healthy foods,” says 12-yearold Calia Cole. “Some kids just want to lie around watching TV or playing video games all day, instead of being outside, enjoying the fresh air,” added Cole, a once-chubby child who began losing weight about a year ago after becoming a cheerleader.

“I think a lot of kids don’t exercise because they think it’s boring,” states 13-year-old Damaris King. “But there are lots of fun things that people can do to exercise, like dancing. Instead of just sitting around talking with their friends, they can get together and walk around their neighborhood while they’re talking,” she explains.

Like Cole and King, 14-year-old Mia Curtis knows that exercise is one of the keys to losing weight; however, she is less than committed to working out. “I don’t really like to exercise. I only do it during P.E. class,” states Curtis, who last month found out that she has diabetes. “I would probably exercise more if my friends exercised with me.”

“I think that parents need to help their kids find ways to exercise,” says 18-year-old Joel Cobble. “A lot of times parents tell their kids that they need to exercise or lose weight, but they are not willing to join them. You can tell a person a million times that they need to exercise, but a lot of them just aren’t going to do it, especially by themselves.”

King adds, “That’s why parents should set aside time where the whole family can exercise together. If the whole family is exercising together, then kids would have a lot more fun. After awhile some might even start exercising on their own or with their friends, too.”

Just as Cole, Curtis, King and Cobble are knowledgeable about exercise and its benefits, they are equally aware that in order to lose weight, exercise should be accompanied by a healthy diet. While they say getting lessons about eating healthy starting in elementary school, they admit that staying away from junk food is difficult for most youths.

“I love junk food,” says Curtis. “But once I found out that I have diabetes, I began paying a lot more attention to what I eat. I used to drink lots of soda and eat a lot of candy. I don’t drink soda anymore, and I really try to avoid candy.” Curtis reports