The Boy Who Wore Plaid

Last week I worked with my youngest client, Paul. He's 8. Great kid with a head full of thick vibrant red hair and a personality just as vibrant. His grandmother is a running client of mine and she asked me if I could work with Paul on running bases. Paul is on a coach-pitch little league team. We worked on some simple speed and agility drills and I talked to Paul about the leg muscles that help you move when you run. I told, Paul these muscles had to be strong to give you lots of power to get him to first base and beyond. We also talked about arm swing and how it's important to keep your arms at your sides and how they should be pumping just as much as your legs are moving. Paul was a great student, very alert, attentive and eager (a trainer's dream).

I set up a mock "home base" and "first base" and had Paul pretend to swing his bat and lay it down just as his baseball coach has instructed him and then had him blast off to first base, using all the techniques I had just taught him. Paul did great. You could see the concentration in his eyes. I noticed he was landing with really heavy feet and there was a loud clomping sound to his foot strike. So we talked about a better foot landing that would promote a smoother stride. He had no problem modifying his foot strike and soon was running with very little sound.

So, we ended that first session with a firm hand shake and off they went to a ball game. Yep, he had a game that night. We had only worked together for 30 minutes, but I was hoping I hadn't worn him out for his game. Then I remembered he was 8 not 46. LOL!

Later that night, I got a message on Facebook from Paul's grandmother. He had hit a home run and she said he blasted around the bases with his arms at his side pumping hard, a smooth stride and his legs just a moving. She could tell he was already putting his learning to good use.

After I read that FB message, I couldn't help but chuckle. When I was Paul's age, I played baseball for 2 years. Hated every minute of it. The first year we had to wear those old scruffy, itchy wool uniforms. There I was, the pudgy kid in this itchy as heck gray wool uniform out in right field, praying hard the ball wouldn't come my way. I knew from day one of practice that I was not cut out for baseball. Of course the ball that popped up and smashed into my face didnt' help any either. Somehow I made it through a second year and even one year of football before calling it quits with sports. A short career (so I thought). 

I figured I was supposed to be the fat kid in the plaid pants. You know the happy-go-lucky kid who always had a joke to tell. Back then, if you were "husky" (as they so politely called it) you had very little options for clothing. And it seemed that the designers at the time believed that fat kids looked best in plaid. Better yet, plaid pants with reinforced knees (guys you remember Toughskins from Sears?).

That's how it played out for the rest of elementary school and middle school too. My older brother played baseball and tennis while I ate twin bags of Lays potato chips on the couch after school watching General Hospital. My best friend Dennis, however, was a gymnast. I always admired his bravery to be the only male on the gymnastics team. He was probably the strongest guy in our class, but he took a lot of ribbing from the other guys.

The thing that I didn't realize at the time was that it wasn't that I wasn't athletic or didn't have athletic potential, it was that I was not a team sports person. Problem was that back then (at least where I lived) there was very little to do other than play baseball, basketball, or football.

The summer before high school I decided to lose weight. I went on weight watchers and lost a little over 40 pounds. During my freshman year we had to run the mile in PE. The previous year in 8th grade, the mile had been torture. I ran the mile in 18:20 (and yes I was wearing plaid pants). This time it was different. I ran the mile in under 8 minutes. By no means a world record, but I was astounded. For the first time, I realized I could actually do something athletic. I still didn't have the confidence to go out for cross-country or track. Even after losing weight you still feel like a fat person on the inside, even when the weight is gone.

About 5 years later I ran my first 10K. This was around the time (in the mid 80s) when road races began to gain some popularity with "average runners." I was hooked. I finally found my niche. Something athletic where I could compete against myself...or others if I wanted.

Running has taken me many places and provided me the opportunity to meet many people from 8-year-old Paul to legendary Bart Yasso. Who'd a thunk that the fat kid in the plaid pants would be teaching an 8-year old how to run bases.

Children today as well as adults have so many more opportunities to be involved in exercise. If you're a parent, be observant and foster the activities that interest your child. If you're an adult, be willing to explore different options until you find what clicks. It might be walking, running, kick boxing, or hot yoga. Doesn't matter—just get up and move!

Get 'Em Active. But Ask, Don't Demand.

As a parent, you want the best for you kids, both mentally and physically. Sometimes it's easy to over impose your own desires and wants on your kids without really finding out what they want. As a parent, I've learned that sometimes you have to step back and forget about your "likes" and let your child share what they love about life. Just because you were a football star in high school (that definitely wasn't me, ha!) doesn't mean your child will want that too. This post is as much a reminder to myself as it is to anyone reading it. My own children have activity and weight issues and I'm exploring the best ways to turn that around without pushing them away. If you have teenagers (or even just know a teenager), you know what I mean.

Today's fast-paced, media-driven, and get-it-now lifestyle has definitely made life a lot easier, but at the same time, it's made for a generation of overweight and obese children. In fact this is the first generation to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. That's really sad news. The great news is that it can be turned around.

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When I was but a wee lad, outside was my entertainment. Now, some of the things we did outside, I'd die if I knew my kids were doing (i.e., pretending to be the 6-Million Dollar Man and jumping off the roof of the garage to practice our forward roll upon landing; climbing over the lumber yard fence and using planks to cross from one 15-foot stack of 2x4s to another, etc...). Funny thing though is that even with me playing out doors, I still went through a "fat kid" stage around 5-8th grade. I wasn't into team athletics so I didn't have a regimented workout like my brother who played baseball, football, tennis, to help keep the weight off. I really do believe, however, that the fact that I played outdoors kept me from becoming bigger than I was. I looked back at pictures of myself when I was "fat" and compared them to today's overweight kids, and I look pretty darn normal.

I don't think organized sports are for every kid, but because so many who are not involved in organized sports are stuck inside watching, TV, playing computer games, and/or surfing the net, they're not able to burn off enough calories each day to keep their weight at a healthy level. The sedentary lifestyle coupled with fast food and highly refined and processed foods are the main culprits in this huge increase in childhood obesity. Youngsters are even being diagnosed with high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes. Maybe if the ultra realistic video games of today reverted back to the "Pong" of my era, kids would return to the outdoors.

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I was really disheartened the other day when I heard Steve Jobs say that the keyboard computer would soon be a thing of the past and that computers would all go to a touch screen. That gives me a heavy heart for two reasons. First, as a writer, it's just one more foot in the grave for the written word. For many (myself included) using pen and paper or the keyboard is a part of the creative process. Sometimes my fingers just have a mind of their own and go to town. Then I have to go back and clean up what they produced. But somewhere in the garble ends up some cool stuff. I'm just not convinced that same thing will happen with touch screens. Although, I guess back-in-the-day, users of manual typewriters probably said the same thing about the electric typewriters and then the laptop.

Second, it just seems one more step closer to the reality portrayed in the Disney movie Wall-e. In the movie, the last remaining humans are on a ship in outer space looking for a home. Everything has become so automated that the humans have become huge blobs that can barely move. They lay in floating hover-bed lounge-chairs which they never leave. They drink smoothies because they're too weak to prepare their own food.

Okay, enough dooms day. I'm not a prude. I really do like invention and advancement. I use a laptop everyday. I have a Garmin to track my distance and mileage. We do have a big flat screen digital TV, but we have no cable or dish. I think technology and advancement is wonderful, but not at the risk of our kids' health. Just the fact that our kids have a shorter life expectancy than ours should be enough of an eye opener that as a society we strive to put exercise, play, and the outdoors back into our children's lives. Research does show that active children have better test scores!

Okay, I'll stop ranting and get back to the point of this post, "Ask, Don't Demand." Taking away the computer, shutting off the TV, and discontinuing cable, may work for some in getting their kids outdoors and into being more active, but I think a different approach may work just as well if not better.

Schedule some outside trips with your kids, but kept the activities open so that your kids have some choice in what they do. Or maybe over the course of a few weeks have them experience several different things to see what sparks an interest—hiking, biking, running, Frisbee football, frisbee golf, wiffle ball, swimming, badminton. When I was in middle school my older brother and I set up an "official" badminton court in our backyard. We had a whole series of tournaments between us and played that entire summer. It was big fun.

Another approach to take is to try inviting your kids to join you in your favorite activity. Tell them you'll take it easy on them. That's usually enough of a challenge to get them out there. If they say no, dig a little to find out what they're interested in. It may be that they're really interested in mountain biking, but have never said anything because you're into running. Or maybe it's dance or gymnastics. Now there are limits. I'm not donning a tutu, but I will sign my daughter up for dance class and root her on whole-heartedly from the sidelines if that's her area of interest. The point is, find out what your child is interested in. Sometimes all they're waiting for is an invite. Other times is maybe that they're waiting for you to ask what they're interested in.

A few months back I told my 14-year old that I was starting a beginning running group at my fitness studio. I told her that if she and her best friend wanted to join the group, that would be awesome. That's all I said. A week later, she came to me to ask more questions about the group and who'd be in it. Eventually she and her buddy both joined the group and completed the 10-week program. This past week (while on vacation at the beach), she even got me up early 5 of the 8 days we were there to run. Next week we're running a 5K together to celebrate July 4th and her accomplishment. This was such a success (I think) because of the invite.

I'm holding a 4-week bootcamp at the studio in July and my daughter came to me the other day and said, "So, Dad. You gonna make me do this bootcamp too?" Then she gave me a big grin and we both began to laugh.

So, if you're not already, get active with your kids. I'll be working on it in my household. Invite your family to join you in your favorite activity and explore their interests too. There's a lot of healthy fun and memory-making to be had outdoors.

Kids Complete Fitness Program and Run Their First 5K!

If you've been following the blog, you may remember a post about a wonderful nonprofit organization called GO FAR (Go Out For a Run). GO FAR is a comprehensive fitness program for children which promotes physical activity, healthy eating and good character. The goal of the GO FAR program is to empower children to make healthy lifestyle choices that they may integrate and sustain throughout their entire life. Specifically, GO FAR teaches children to set and reach goals and complete a 5K road race. GO FAR was developed in response to the childhood obesity epidemic.

Today I had the wonderful privilege of attending the 7th Annual GO FAR 5K Fall race held in High Point, NC. 1000 runners (a record crowd) ran the race. About 75% of the runners were kids and the other 25% were coaches, volunteers, and parents. The success of the race is a result of the GO FAR kids, their great mom's and dads, teachers and the dedicated volunteers and wonderful sponsors.

What a wonderful experience of accomplishment for the kids, coaches, parents, and volunteers. I didn't know any of the runners, but my heart swelled with pride as I watched them cross that finish line. It was truly inspiring seeing their beaming faces as they finished and received their medals.

GO FAR is not just a program for North Carolina. The organization has already branched out to other states and it hopes to grow even more. To find out more about starting a GO FAR Club in your area [click here]. To get a sampling of what a GO FAR 5K race is like, check out the video clip below that RunnerDude filmed of today's festivities!

GO FAR Update

In a previous post, "Inspiring Kids to Run," I shared about the wonderful organization, GO FAR (Go Out For A Run), which prepares youngsters to run their first 5K. Robin Lindsay, the founder of GO FAR has helped hundreds of children become healthier and more confident individuals through the program. On May 2nd, hundreds of GO FAR kids will run their first 5K race (a part of the UnitedHealthCare North Carolina Marathon festivities). For more information on GO FAR and how to start a GO FAR program in your area, click here. Also check out the cool news clip on GO FAR from FOX8 News.

Inspiring Kids to Run

Not too long ago a good running and blogging friend of mine, Lisa Watts, told me about a really cool program—GO FAR—that helps kids train for and run their first 5K. As we talked, I discovered that the program was developed by a friend of hers—Robin Lindsay. I met Robin when she joined my running group for one of our Saturday morning long runs. I got to know her a little better when we both volunteered to help stuff envelops for a fundraiser for the upcoming NC Marathon. Her story is so inspirational that I asked her to share it with you, the readers of RunnerDude's Blog. Read on to find out how this truly unique and important program—GO FAR—came to be.

I’m amazed how life events and unplanned occurrences can sharply change the path of our lives. In 2003 I was a veteran Physician Assistant practicing medicine in a small adult clinic, seeing patients with primarily chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and osteoarthritis. I was tired of non-compliant patients and watching my patients deteriorate to the point of kidney failure and amputation of limbs from poor diabetes control, and ongoing joint and back pain from being obese and inactive.

I left the small clinic to work in a local university, excited to be working with energetic, healthy young adults. Instead, what I found in my first year as health director at the university was 19- and 20-year-olds struggling with similar problems of inactivity, poor eating habits and extra weight. On evaluation, found their blood pressures were high and their blood sugars were slightly elevated. They complained of many of the same things that the older patients I once evaluated.

About this time, I was training for my first marathon with Team in Training, in support of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I love their method of training: every week you set and reach a new goal with the support of coaches. Somewhere in the middle of that training I had a “shower moment”: that instant when, as you’re shampooing, you come up with an awesome idea. I realized I could train impressionable elementary age kids in a similar way, teaching them to set goals and reach them, train them in the basics of how to complete a 5K road race and include nutrition training, character building and other aspects of training. And so GO FAR (Go Out For A Run) was born.

GO FAR is a 10-week curriculum taught by teachers or parents who volunteer a few afternoons a week. Each week the children walk/run, increasing their running or speed walking time in each of the 10 weeks until the finale, a 5k run/walk. They also learn about the importance of good character, goal setting and other aspects of physical fitness.

Oh yeah, back to life changes. I quit my PA job to be a full-time volunteer with GO FAR and to help get more children active and to stay healthy. The program has grown from 16 kids in 2003 from one school to more than 1,000 children in 25 schools in 3 states. I want to see the program spread still farther. Once children train in the GO FAR program and participate in their first 5k, they generally are hooked. —Robin Lindsay

Want to start a GO FAR running club in your school, camp, club, or church? Visit Robin's Website at http://www.gofarclub.org/ for more information.