Post by Nicole Dorsey

Fifteen years as West Coast Editor of Fitness Magazine instills a lot of discipline and will-power. I'm tired at the end of the day just like you, so I have to fit my workouts in with my son on the weekends or before school. (One huge plus for us now is that we can walk a mile to school -- and we do. I walk home too!) 

The American College of Sports Medicine sponsored a landmark study that proves all children require at least 60 minutes of play-time, leisure activity and good old exercise every single day of the week! PS: Children are growing less active and more unfit every year. To help your kids become happier, healthier and more active, try my savvy strategies:

1. Be a Great Role Model

Kids watch what you do and then want to play along. So if you don't already exercise on a regular basis, start now; walk, join a tennis league, ride your bike, or play a family game of basketball. Even if you're not as active as you once were, tell your children about the sports and games you loved to play when you were their age to spark their interest in a hobby or sport.  

2. Tap into Sports Heroes

If your child has a thing for Sean White or Lindsey Vonn, encourage her to get involved in baseball, ice skating, golf, or whatever. Children are natural hero-worshippers, so when your kids watch their sports heroes in action, talk about the excitement of achievement and teamwork that athletes experience during the heat of a game.  

3. Make Kids Games More Active

Make any game you play with your child as high energy as possible. I recommend agility-enhancing games like "chase the bubbles" and tag.  Another foot-stomping game is Twist and Shout. Play some fun dance music on the stereo and start doing the twist. Twist high, twist low, fast and slow, from one leg to another, you know what I mean!  

4. Take the Focus Off Body Weight 

Teach your child at a very young age to focus not on what her body looks like, but what it can do, especially if she has a weight problem. Tell her how cool it is that she can land a basketball, pop a wheelie or beat you down the street on her scooter. Plaster sports posters of the U.S. Women’s Soccer team or the Women’s NBA on her wall and make sure she realizes that these athletes are strong, talented people.

Stay tuned to Momversation where mom blogger, exercise physiologist and total fitness freak Nicole Dorsey incorporates exercises into every single day she is on this good green earth.