Motivation: A Key Factor

So quite possibly the hardest thing to do to teach kids to have an active lifestyle is motivating them to do so. This is especially difficult if they already enjoy a lifestyle of watching the TV, eating as much as they want to, etc. So I decided to look around and see what programs there are around that might help motivate kids to get out and be active.

One program that I've noticed lately has been the NFL Play 60 program. Maybe it's just because I was watching a lot of football, but regardless I think that this program has the potential to do a lot of good. Essentially it's a program that encourages kids to play every day for 60 min, which is the same amount of time in a football game. What better ways to encourage kids to be active then having people they idolize (aka NFL stars) encouraging them to get out there and play. Check out their website here.

Another program that has received a lot of attention is the "Let's Move" campaign initiated by Michelle Obama. In a fairly ambitious manner, she has stated, "We want to eliminate this problem of childhood obesity in a generation. We want to get that done." Her and President Obama's efforts include establishing a task force to fight childhood obesity, reauthorizing the Childhood Nutrition Act, and providing parental support and information. These are just a few of the things they are doing, check out their website letsmove.gov to see more info.

These are just a few of the programs out there. Although these are great programs with good intentions, ultimately they are only resources we can use to help the problem. Each of us has to do something to combat the problem, we can't rely on others to do to the work for us. So use one of these, use many of these, mix and match or come up with your own, but whatever you do let's make sure we do something.

Here are some other programs I found you might be interested in as well. Feel free to comment with others that I might have missed.
We Can
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Health Corps