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By Catherine Pruissen

According to the American Heart Association in their Children and the Need for Physical Activity: Fact Sheet, "Children in the U.S. today are less fit than they were a generation ago and showing early signs of cardiovascular disease such as weight gain, higher serum cholesterol, and cigarette smoking." Equally as disarming are the results of recent study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal that found that from 1981 to 1996, "the prevalence of overweight increased by 92 per cent in boys and by 57 per cent in girls."

It's no surprise given the amount of time children are involved in such nonphysical activities on a daily basis watching TV, surfing the Internet, and playing computer and video games. Add to that the amount of fast food and junk food kids consume and it's little wonder that that even the World Health Organization recently declared childhood obesity as an epidemic.

How can parents and child care providers encourage their children to have a healthier and fit lifestyle? Fitness expert Chris Batista, shared his fitness tips for kids in a CTV Canada AM back to school segment. These include:

• Make a Computer-TV contract - limit the amount of time spent watching TV or playing on the computer. Insist that equal time be spent outside involved in physical activity as is spent in front of the computer screen.
  
  
• Allow easy access to sporting goods - keeping things around the house for kids to use like: baseball bat and gloves, footballs, basketballs, tennis rackets and balls, skipping ropes, and Frisbees. Click here to read more............

Keeping preschoolers active is not as hard as it seams and there are many fun activities to get infants, toddlers and preschoolers up and moving. Check out these resources:

• Growing Up Fit Preschool Fitness Activities
• Children on the Move - Physical Activity for Early Childhood