My child is not an elite athlete and not self-motivated to get active. Do you have any suggestions for how I can get them off the couch and get them moving?

This one is hard and is a common problem. First off see if you can sit down and find anything your child might be interested in trying, sometimes if they get to pick activities they are more motivated. It does not need to be a sport. Second, as the parent, it is important to set an example of activity and an expectation of what that should look like. I try to be active every day and through years of conditioning the kids know they have to incorporate it into their day as well. If they haven’t done anything that day then they know I will be at least making them go outside for a bit! Third, take away screens. This is probably the biggest thing I run into. Kids on screens for multiple hours a day. Set a rule or limit that works for your house. For example- no screens until activity is done (this may be as simple as a walk). Or no longer than 30 (or 60 or whatever you choose) minutes on screens until they are required to take an activity break. Many people, including kids, are not naturally drawn to activity. This often gets harder as they hit their teenage years. At this point it is about activity for health (just as we brush our teeth so they don’t fall out of our head) and may just need to be built into the day as a walk or bike ride or a skate for example. It could also just be a change in active transportation such as walking to school instead of a drive or the bus. COVID-19 has exacerbated this problem quite a bit but it does give us the opportunity to be outside and try new things.

Now the hard part- your kid is possibly going to be mad and frustrated. Change is hard. Don’t give up. It can take several months of the new suggestions to be developed into a habit. Often as parents it can be easier to just let them do what they want so you can get a break (been there!!!). It can be tiring at first but a little extra effort in the short term can reap long term benefits. Finally, start small and set up a plan. Going from 0-60 is not easy but finding 10 minutes a day is much more manageable. Try to be consistent as a family getting in 10 minutes a day for 2 weeks and then try to increase in 5 minute intervals every 2 weeks. This can also be broken up into 10 minute chunks (i.e. not all 60 minutes needs to happen at the same time). Overall consistency is the key. There are going to be days that just don’t happen but if that arises just get back on track as soon as possible!