MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The summer is here, and it's important to find ways to keep your kids active.
According to the Shelby County Health Department 38% of public-school students are overweight or obese. Among them, 28% say in the past week, they’ve had less than one hour of activity.
Personal fitness trainer Perianna Brown talked about ways she keeps her children moving.
“I go bike riding with my kids. We go for walks. We play with the other kids in the neighborhood,” Brown said.
As a parent Brown understands the importance of keeping kids active, especially during the summer when kids aren’t in school.
“You don’t want them to get stagnant, you don’t want them to not be moving. You want them to burn the energy they have built up,” Brown said.
Brown says parents should take it upon themselves to keep their kids active during the summer. When trying to decide how to keep them active, she says not to overthink it.
“I allow [my son] to play his video games during set hours of the day. Once those hours are up, we turn it off, and we go outside as a family. We’ll play basketball, or if it’s raining, we’ll stay in and play hide and seek,” Brown said.
She says simple activities like morning/evening walks, bike rides, yard work, or fun games like tag all help keep kids moving.
“A kid knowing my parents wants to take time out of their day with me to go for a walk, or take time to go outside and shoot hoops, or pick vegetables for them is a sense of secureness,” Brown said.