Welcome to Practically Fit, Real Fitness Over 40. I'm Alex Johnson. And guess what? There's no Jen Chamberlain this week. Jen's off attending her sister's wedding. So this week I thought I'd kick it OG style. I had a podcast many years ago where I did a lot of solo content. So I'm doing that today. And I want to talk about a topic that's important to me, and that's kids' health and fitness. Today I'm going to talk about the potential negative impacts of screen time on kids' physical health and share a few practical tips to help your kids get active this summer. And so I want to start off by saying I recognize that some of our listeners may not have children. And if you don't, that's okay. But many of us over 40 do have kids. And even if you don't, maybe you're an aunt or an uncle or close with your friend's kids. And so even if you don't have kids of your own, you might have a stake in this. So I really want to invite everyone to listen to this episode, even if they don't have kids, because I think it's an important issue in our society right now, kids and their physical health. So I've been thinking about this a lot lately. And I think for many parents, this is something that can really be top of mind this time of year, specifically in the United States. And that's as we head back into summer break when kids are on this long three-month summer break that we have in the U.S. Kids naturally have this built-in activity when they're going to school. So I know at many schools they still have physical education classes, or as we call it in US PE, though alarmingly many schools have been cutting back on this. Many kids do sports activities, uh, but even just the act of going to school, whether you're walking to school, walking around the school, kids are getting in steps when they're doing that. In the summer, for many kids, I think that activity can really be curtailed. And so for me, I have a 10-year-old son. My wife has two kids, age 12 and 14. And we really do our best to be active with our kids. But sometimes between work, life, trying to work in our own exercise time, which is obviously a different intensity level than the activities or exercise we might do with our kids. Uh, between all of that, we're just not always successful at being active with the kids. And so I know a lot of parents and aunts and uncles and others are in the same boat. And so then when you think about this, there's also this aspect that's been added to our society, and that's electronic devices. For those of us who are Gen X or boomers, even though we've adapted to smartphones and tablets, and can be just as addicted as our kids in some cases to these devices, it's really hard to wrap your head around how much things have changed for kids. Many kids are glued to their screens, and the age at which this is happening, especially in areas where people have economic means, seems to be getting younger and younger. Uh, you know, I think I think for many of us, you know, we would joke around here about, you know, in my day, we went outside and we played and we explored and we went to the woods. But we really did, right? This was something we did. I remember being a kid and going out in my neighborhood and going down to the creek and just poking around with other kids or going into the woods, going and finding trails and exploring, riding my bike way outside the neighborhood. My parents never realized how far away I rode my bike when I was, you know, 12 years old, for example. Uh so we did all that when we were kids. And yeah, I still had a Nintendo, but I love to get outside and explore and climb trees and do things that we did in the late 80s and early 1990s. So, again, that's changed a lot these days. Recently I saw this article that really prompted me to think further about kids and their physical health, and it's from a digital outlet called Fatherly. The article was titled, Sedentary Time for Kids Can Do Damage to Kids' Hearts. And the article is referencing a study that was published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science and Sports. And it was one of those long-term studies we've talked about before on the podcast. So these are always really interesting. It enrolled participants first in 1991 and 92 at age seven, and then the people conducting the study checked in with the participants at various points in their lives. And so keep in mind, what's so startling to me about this study is that these kids were enrolled in the study at the same time I was around a similar age. They were born before the smartphone age. So we think about our kids being sedentary now. This was before the time of smartphones and tablets and all that. So I want to quote from this study because it really focuses in on the impact, again, that sedentary time for kids can have on their hearts. So, quote, the team found that kids who engaged in more sedentary time had larger left cardiac ventricles than those who engaged in either light activity or moderate to vigorous activity. Increased sedentary time was associated with a threefold increase in left ventricle size and a decrease in the ventricles' ability to pump blood efficiently. Interestingly enough, increases in size and decreases in function were also seen in those who engaged in more moderate to vigorous physical activity, but not to the same extent as those who are more sedentary. Those who engaged in more light physical activity showed no marked changes in either structure or function of the left ventricle. So these are some really specific findings around the heart related to levels of physical activity in these kids in this long-term study. The study goes on to say, quote, the results are important because left ventricle changes and left ventricular changes in adults have been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death from cardiac events, and suggest that movement can reduce the risk of these harms. And again, in the study, they found those who engaged in light physical activity had no marked changes in structure of or function of that left ventricle. Even compared to people who were doing vigorous activity, that the kids who were doing that had some impacts on their left ventricle, which would make sense as well. So what we're talking about here is getting kids some light physical activity on a regular basis and how important that can be for their heart. Again, it just blows my mind because it was before the smartphone era. And in addition to the potential cardiovascular issues referenced in this study, if you do your research, a sedentary lifestyle for children has also been linked with things like obesity and diabetes, not to mention, again, the mental health effects. So this all highlights the dangers of being sedentary for kids. And that gets me thinking, like, how sedentary are our kids today? Or to rephrase this question for those of us who are parents and are witnessing this sedentary behavior firsthand, how much time does this generation of kids spend looking at screens every day? So there's a lot of different measures of this, but I chose one from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychology. And according to them, kids ages eight to twelve in the US average four to six hours of screen time per day. And as the kids age, it can be even worse. Teens spend up to nine hours on screens every day. That's a lot of time. But it may not be that surprising to those of us who are parents. I didn't find the numbers that surprising based on my own observations of kids these days and being around kids. So the other thing that comes into play with the electronic devices is mental health. And again, that's not what I'm focused on today because obviously the impacts of screen time and social media on mental health have been widely discussed lately. There's been a lot of media coverage of documents that were linked out of certain social media companies, that's an entirely different subject. And one that I'm sure many of you would have stories about in regard to your own kids. But today I just want to focus on the lack of physical activity. If kids are spending this amount of time on devices daily and thus being sedentary, maybe even more sedentary than kids enrolled in this study in 1992. Granted, we had TV and video games back then, but my observation is that, you know, I have no data to back this up, just being a parent. It seems like kids are more sedentary than they were in the early 90s now. So as parents and those of us who support kids in other ways, you know, again, relatives, friends, we got to take action on this. So how do we do that? How do we get our kids out and active? I wanted to share some tips from things that I've learned interacting with both my son and my stepkids. And some of these are pretty obvious, but I think some are a bit more creative. And I'm sure our listeners have stories about this or ideas that can help get kids active. So if you do, I invite you to head on over to practically. But the first one is just to simply get moving. Again, it seems obvious, right? It goes back to what we talked about with Brandon LaForce, uh registered counselor, about what he advises his patients. But again, we're talking a lot about walking as a baseline form of exercise on this podcast and the positive impacts it can have on your physical and mental health. So think about how many steps you as an adult get on a day where you go to work or where you go out on the town and compare that to the days that you don't do that. So this is what I was talking about when it comes to the summer break, right? For kids who are off school. Again, their step counts are likely down. So this is a time of year in the U.S. where you really want to get your kids moving. And there's different ways you can do that. If you have family pets, it's great to go out and, you know, walk your dogs, for example. A lot of kids really enjoy going out and walking the dogs with their parents. Or maybe if you have a cat. I have a cat. I don't walk the cat. We only walk the dogs. But if you're into walking a cat, no judgment, you can walk the cat as well. I don't know if you could walk a ferret. I was watching kindergarten cop last night with my son, so that came to mind. But again, getting out with the the pets with the dogs can be a great way to get the kids moving. Another one, especially I think if you have younger kids, this, you know, teenagers are gonna scoff at this, but take the kids out exploring. Again, my 10, my son is 10. Recently I I got him out and we went on a walk down some trails near our house, and I had found this area back in the woods along a creek that was really cool. There was there used to be like a cement bridge across the creek, and it had collapsed. And you know, it's been tagged by kids uh with some artwork and so forth. But it was kind of a really cool area way back in this creek that seemed really isolated. Uh, and I remember as a kid going back and exploring these types of areas and hiking around and feeling like I was really just away from everything, and you know, it really plays to that sense of adventure. So if you have younger kids, you can get them out and go exploring, and I think they'll really like it. You know, another thing you could do, all joking aside, is just park really far away from things if you're on family outings, like if you've gone to a state park, or if you know, if you're in a big city and you know, you've got these big developments where you're going shopping or going out to have a fun time with the kids, just park really far away. That's a good trick to get them moving. Now, I mentioned going exploring with my son. Sometimes your kids don't want to get moving, and that happened to be a night where my son was feeling that way. But one thing I've noticed about this, even when the kids are resistant or complain about an activity initially, even something as simple as a walk, they always end up having fun. They end up having great conversation, they enjoy being out. It's really a running joke for me now with my son, because he often comes complains about being forced to go out for a walk. And usually there's a correlation between when he's complaining and him being on a video game, right? So uh if I'm making him get off a video game, is usually when I face the complaints. But that that evening recently we went exploring, it was one of those nights, and once he went out, he's like, that was so much fun. I'm sorry, Daddy. Why did I throw a big fit about this type of thing? So, again, getting the kids moving is one strategy you can try. Another one I think is using technology to your advantage. Get the kids a smartwatch. Maybe the step counter smartphone app will motivate them. Kids are tech savvy these days, as we know. It blows me away how tech savvy kids are. I used to think I was tech savvy growing up because I knew how to operate a computer, but these these kids are giving us a run for our money on that regard. So if you get them a smartwatch, you know, that's the type of thing that might be motivational to them. They'll be able to use the app, and that could be something that they look at. Another thing that I've done is turning a workout into a video. It helps that I have a TikTok account for practically fit, uh, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, whatever. Though, you know, based on my understanding of how kids use Snapchat, you know, the teens, maybe they don't want to put up a workout video with their parents on there. Uh, but my kid is done runs with me, push-up contests, and he did these things because I said, Oh, we can turn it into a video. He even has his own little YouTube channel that he does. So I feel like this is another way that you can use technology to your advantage, especially if you have a creative kid who likes to use these social media channels. A third thing you can do is start slow. I think this is really important. And this is what I was referencing earlier in the intro. Some of the difficulties you may run into getting your kid to get out and active is you're trying to get your own workouts in, right? So your intensity level for a workout as a grown adult compared to a younger kid or even a teen who's been sedentary is going to be very different. They're not going to be able to go out with you immediately and run three miles or ride 20 miles on a bike, right? This week, you know, I took, I took my son and stepson out for a run. Uh, we only ran half a mile, but my son hadn't been running much, and neither had my stepson recently. Uh, my son was playing soccer in the spring, and that season had ended, so he's lost a little bit of fitness. So it was okay. We went out, we ran half a mile. We stopped four times on the run to catch our breath, but it was still a starting place. And now he wants to run again with me, right? Because we got back into it. So he's already wanting to run a little further, right? And he's thinking about that. Um, during soccer season, he was up to a mile. So we just did that by starting really slowly and taking lots of rest breaks. And then, you know, he was actually up to a mile with no stopping at one point. So you really want to start slow with the kids because, again, kind of an obvious point, but they can't match your intensity level, or if you're doing a strength workout, your strength. So you have to really work with them on the approach that they're taking to the workout and be really positive about it, about their starting point. And explain to them, it's okay. You're not going to be as strong as me, for example, starting out, or you're not going to be able to run as fast as me, that sort of thing. Another thing you can do is try a new sport or activity. So there's all kinds of you know, fun activities you can do beyond your typical workouts. Tennis is a great one. Pickleball, the nation is going crazy over pickleball, right? It's the fastest growing sport in the United States. I haven't played it. It looks like it would be fun. It looks very active, looks like kids would enjoy it. Recently on our vacation, we went on a little canoeing outing. And I think we ended up canoeing like three miles through mangroves, but we got to see different types of wildlife and go through these beautiful trees, and it was something completely different. And it was a really fun time for everyone. So it was exercise, but it was something completely different. Even going back to typical workouts, strength training for younger adults, especially teens, can be exciting and new to them. So we've been doing that in our household. The the two boys have been interested in it, and you know, we've been starting to build up from a strength training perspective. So something new that they haven't done before can really get them into being more active. And then finally, we talked about using technology and smartphones and apps, but if your kid is competitive, maybe use that. I think younger kids to an extent want to prove that they can do something. And I think this also plays into that sense that a lot of younger kids have that they know better than you. They always know the answer. They always know better than you. For those of us who are parents, we're very familiar with that. So if there's if your kid is competitive, you may be able to use that as a motivator. So if you're going for a little run, turn it into a quote unquote race. Challenge them to see how many push-ups they can do. You get the idea. There's numerous ways that you could use that competitive aspect. Again, I think the smartphone or the smartwatch could play into this as well because they could get creative or they could get competitive with themselves in terms of the metrics. But yeah, use that competition if your kid is open to it. The worst thing you can do, I think, is forcing a kid into a competitive mindset if that's not their thing. So, again, that's one where if if the kids are into it, go ahead and use it. So, those are some of my ideas on how you can get kids active. I would love to hear yours again. Head on out to practically. And share your comments, uh, or you can email me at alex at practically. Again, this is a big issue. Kids are quite sedentary these days with the amount of screen time. And I feel like it's something we have to start doing something about as a society. It's a really important issue, and let's get out there and get our kids active. So that's it for this week's edition of the podcast. Hope you enjoyed the solo podcast. Would love to hear your comments on that. Again, uh third time I've plugged practically. Subscribe to practically. Great weekly content in your inbox every week. Uh, this week I wrote about energy drinks. So you can you can read my hot takes on energy drinks this week uh and some of the recent media coverage of those and how bad they are for you and for your kids, actually. The second time I've talked about sort of a kid-related topic this week. So that's it for this time. Jen and I will be back together next time on the podcast. Again, we're looking at getting some new interviewees on the podcast that we're really excited about. So we look forward to sharing that with you. But until the next time, remember I'll do Jen's part. Fitness is for everybody.