January 12, 2000
Cooper's new book
offers tips for building fit kids
___NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Children are fatter and less physically fit than they were 15 years ago. They spend hours in front of the TV. They are no longer required to take physical education in all 12 years of their schooling. They eat food high in fat and cholesterol. And they rely on the car for transportation.
___All this adds up to bad news for American children, according to Texas physician and Baptist layman Kenneth Cooper.
___Sedentary living and poor nutrition can have sobering consequences for a child's future, Cooper writes in a new book published by Broadman & Holman, a division of LifeWay Christian Resources. For example, childhood obesity frequently is a predictor of adult obesity, which is associated with medical problems such as diabetes, hypertension, gallbladder disease, heart attacks and cancer.
___Heart disease "takes more than 20 years to develop," Cooper writes in "Fit Kids! The Complete Shape-Up Program from Birth through High School."
___He urges adults to take children off the fast track to serious diseases and shortened life spans by adopting a game plan for a child's particular chronological and developmental level. His resource includes methods to assess fitness levels, illustrated exercises, smart-eating programs, recipes for the "fast-food generation" and strategies for total family involvement.
___Cooper, founder and president of the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, has some important--and even surprising--lessons for today's parents. Among his surprises: the assertion that children by nature gravitate toward healthy activities and habits.
___Given children's inclinations, "the best way for parents to steer their children back to those inclinations is to set an example for them," he said.
___"Also, encourage them to participate in activities that are in a healthy environment and with peers who are setting the example that you want your children to follow," he added. "But the best predictor of healthy activities and eating habits in a child are the eating and activity habits of their parents."
___Parental involvement, accountability and commitment are needed for a successful child fitness program, Cooper writes.
___He emphasizes the importance of parent/child teamwork, noting "both the parent and the child must somehow get involved if the kid fitness program is to succeed. Young children are unlikely to embark on a long-term, comprehensive conditioning program without the backing and guidance of a supportive mother or father," he notes.
___Another basic lesson Cooper teaches is the difference between health and fitness. "In the past, physical fitness meant the absence of disease. To me, physical fitness is having a quality of life that enables a person to perform at the highest level," he said.
___"There are an estimated 48 million sedentary adults who are 'healthy' but not 'fit.' Our studies clearly show that in that state, they are not only increasing the risk of dying from all causes, they are shortening their lives."
___Cooper also wants parents to be aware of the distinction between a child's chronological age and his or her physical and emotional development. "Due to the rule of rhythm, children develop physiologically at different rates," he said.
___Likewise, emotional development can vary, and parents should be aware of the possibility that puberty does not always come at a certain age, he added.
___Cooper warned parents not to place children in an activity in which he or she has no interest, nor one in which "the parent sees the possibility of participating vicariously through the child. That will place such pressure on a child that very likely he or she will become an adolescent fitness dropout."
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