Kids and Pedometers

Last year the YMCA decided to give the kids in their local “after school” program a pedometer to wear for a few days to evaluate how active kids are in their lives.  My grandson was in the program and he turned in his pedometer only to discover that on an average day he walked 4,000 steps.  That surprised me because it seemed he went to school, sat in classes, ate in cafeteria, came home, ate dinner with family; homework and then to bed (with a little computer time built into his schedule).

I learned that a study had conducted to determine if pedometers are a successful way of encouraging young people to get active.

Prior to the study little was known about young people and the effects that a pedometer would have on the physical activity.. We know the impact of a pedometer on adults when their physical activity was increased about 2,000 steps per day which means decreased body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure levels.  It is great for adults and now has been proven it is great for kids as well.

People are mostly created by their accomplishments in life.  Wearing a pedometer and measuring their walking steps produces an achievement in people’s lives.  I proudly wear a pedometer every day and close to the end of the day I check my walking steps.  If I have not reached my goal of 7,000 steps a day I go for a walk until I achieve that level. 

Put a pedometer on your kid and tell them it is for a healthy report, which it is.  Make a chart for the kids, or yourself, to fill in a daily blank space that you fill in with their steps to evaluate the end results. Most parents have a need to know if their kids are being active enough to have a healthy life.

Pedometers are able to provide up-to-the-minute information which can be used to adjust activity plans to achieve physical activity objectives.

Some kids participate in organized sports and activities and have remained relatively stable over time; incidental activity has been eroded from the lives of many young people. They also consume too much soft drink and junk food, and don’t eat enough fruit and vegetables.

Parents usually agree that their kids are active from the time they get out of bed until the time they go to sleep at night.  Activity is a good sign of a healthy kid or adult.  However, kids are different from each other.  One of your kids may be over-active and another kid not active and it is not noticed.  So for a week take a pedometer and put it on your kids.  This will also determine what and how much food your kid(s) should consume to support their activity or non-activity.