It is no surprise that youth are spending an ever increasing amount of time in sedentary pursuits. Surveys suggest that only 50% of youth in our country between the ages of 12 to 21 are vigorously active on a regular basis. Furthermore, sedentary habits on average increase as a child grows into adulthood. For this very reason, reducing time spent in front of a computer, watching television, or playing video games should be an essential part of every prescription for sedentary youth. But what isn’t lending a hand in this battle is technology.

Everything in today’s world is labor-saving: from elevators to vehicles, power windows to electric can openers, remote controls to riding lawn mowers, and the list goes on and on. Not to say that any of these things are bad, they just decrease the amount of physical activity we should be doing.

But there are plenty of ways to combat the ever increasing ease to be sedentary. So without further ado, here is a list of how you can encourage your child to move more: tell them to use the stairs instead of the escalator, walk instead of riding in the car, stand while talking on the phone, do specific chores around the home, use a rocking chair while watching television, ride a bicycle, play with a dog, dog-paddle through a pool, hop-scotch or jump rope, throw a Frisbee, roller blade or skate-board, and the list goes on. The point is that physical activity does not have to be rigid and structured; it can be in small steps. Most importantly physical activity should be fun!

Having all the knowledge in the world about how to stay healthy does not amount to anything unless the knowledge is applied. Knowledge can only be powerful if it is applied.