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Kick-start your family's morning routine
Tue 03 May 2005
From News Canada
(NC)-Canadian studies show that the average child watches three to five hours of TV each day.1 Instead of starting off your child's day in front of the TV, why not start it off with a little physical activity? If you have a dog, encourage your child to join you on the morning walk. If you live close enough to school, leave time in the morning to walk to school. Or, if you live too far away to walk to school, drive your children part way and have them walk on a safe route the rest of the way.
"The physical activity levels of Canadian children are now a serious health and social development issue," says Mark Tremblay, Chair, Active Healthy Kids Canada. "Parents have an important role to play in laying the foundation for kids to be active at an early age, as the habits for inactivity established in childhood will be carried into adulthood."
Kellogg Canada, in partnership with Active Healthy Kids Canada, is making it easier for children to increase their activity levels both at home and at school with the launch of Kidz Count - a fun and interactive step counter program designed to get kids moving. Beginning in mid-May, free pedometers called Kidz Counters, will be available in over two million boxes of specially-marked Kellogg's cereals, while quantities last.
Step counters measure the number of steps a person takes. Challenge your kids to take at least 2,000 extra steps per day and they will be amazed to find out how easy it is. Two thousand extra steps per day equals approximately 20 minutes of activity.
Make adding steps to your day a mission for the whole family. Have your kids put on their step counter in the morning and track their steps until they go to bed. Each evening, your kids can go online to record their extra steps at www.kidzcount.ca. On the site, children are able to choose one of three Kellogg's characters and donate their steps to that character. From there, kids can monitor their progress to see how many steps they have taken around a 'virtual' Trans Canada Trail. Parents and teachers can also download a free Kidz Count educational guide with tips and simple activities designed to get kids moving at home or at school. Additional resources and strategies for increasing physical activity can also be found on the website.
For more information, visit www.kidzcount.ca.
1 Canadian Medical Association Journal, November 2002
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