Fitness in Your Pocket

According to the New York Times, a report issued this month by the American Academy of Pediatrics, suggests that children as young as 8 years of age be screened for cholesterol and be given cholesterol-lowering drugs if necessary. This shocking report comes as no surprise, especially as physical activity, which is so important for the development of children is at an all time low in this country. The root causes of this are lack of exercise and a diet which is high in fat. Never before in the history of the United States has such a large-scale public health issue emerged that has a root cause in the choice of the individual. If steps aren’t taken to stop this trend, the ramifications will be crippling, decreasing life expectancy and having a debilitating effect on the economy.

The solution, I believe, is prevention. By encouraging exercise at an earlier age and controlling the diets of our children, much can be done to head off this national crisis. One of the most effective methods for children is online video workouts. Online video workouts are effective for teenagers because it uses a medium that they already enjoy using, and in this sense, can be integrated into their daily lives. For fitness to become a routine for young children and teenagers, it must mesh with their lifestyle, which is technology-driven. Fitness routines that can be downloaded to portable devices, such as iPods would be especially appealing to children, who routinely download MP3 and MP4 files to their devices.