How to Get Middle School Boys Fit

According to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, childhood obesity has tripled in the past 30 years. It's important to tackle the issue of weight and healthy living early on, so children can change to healthier habits that will stick throughout their lives. Working with middle schools boys to help them get fit involves increasing physical activity and improving the quality of the food that they eat. Education is not always enough. You have to set a good example for your child--if your are fit, he will be too.
Instructions:

1: Pack his lunch. The food that's served in school cafeterias isn't always the healthiest choice. For example, fruits are packed in sugary syrup, and meats are loaded with fat. On top of this, students often are allowed to purchase snack foods instead of lunch. While there is more effort to get healthy foods in the schools, it's still a smart idea to pack his lunch. This allows you to choose healthy foods that he'll eat. Ask him to help you make it, and he's more likely to eat it.

2: Stay active as a family. If your family watches TV as a hobby, then your child is less likely to be fit. Instead, make sure that the whole family is active. Go on a walk or bike ride after dinner and choose physical activities, such as hiking, for the weekend.

3: Encourage him to build muscles. Strong muscles not only improve physical fitness and allow him to pass fitness tests at school, they also help him to burn more calories. Ask your child what types of muscle-building activities he'd like to do. For example, he may be interested in weight and you can purchase a small weight set. He may just need help developing a workout schedule.

4: Set fitness goals as a family. Your fitness goals don't have to be about losing weight. Instead, set a goal to increase the number of pull-ups you can do or decrease the time it takes to run a mile. Then plan to achieve those goals.
5: Ask him to participate in a sport. Playing sports encourages physical development and often teamwork. Some boys aren't interested in the traditional team sports like baseball or football. Instead, see if he'd be interested in taking martial arts lessons or learning to skateboard. If he chooses an activity that he has an interest in, he's more likely to stick with it.