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Let's Get Physical
Helping Overweight Kids Get Active
By Alex Powell
A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates 16 percent of U.S. children from ages 6 to 19 are overweight. These children badly need physical activity. But for overweight kids, exercise can be a double-edged sword. Being overweight makes getting physical tough for children. But we, as parents, can help.
Cory Lang of Covington, La., weighed 178 pounds when he joined Committed to Kids, a pediatric weight management program. Cory's mom, Sheri Lang, says Cory was in poor health and that he felt "hopeless" about his weight and appearance.
While he frequently tried to exercise, his weight wouldn't allow him to keep up with other kids. At age 11, he still hadn't learned how to balance on a bicycle. "A couple of years ago, I put some stainless steel training wheels on the bike he had at the time," says Lang. "He leaned to one side, and his weight just bent the training wheel out, and it was over. He gave up."
As little as 10 pounds of excess weight "puts extra stress on the heart, lungs and the muscles in the legs," says Dr. Melinda Sothern, a clinical exercise physiologist with Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center and the author of Trim Kids: The Proven 12-Week Plan That Has Helped Thousands of Children Achieve a Healthier Weight (Harper Resource, 2001). "It's much more difficult for overweight kids to do the same kind of exercise, at the same speed, as other kids who don't have that extra 10 pounds."
This true physical limitation is often misunderstood. "People think overweight kids are simply not trying hard enough. But physically, their bodies will only allow them to do so much, and then they just hit the wall." While the standard advice from parents and coaches is to just work through the pain, this isn't a good idea. "These kids cannot push through the pain," says Dr. Sothern. "They are physically incapable [of doing so]."
