Maybe it's all the TV. Or perhaps it's from so many video games. Or could it be our computers?

Whatever you think is the cause, the results are plain to see -- children just do not get enough exercise these days. The Lure of the couch with its umptine doo-dadders and gadgets is creating record levels of obesity in children as young as six years old and well into their teens.

What's a parent to do? Following are a few ideas you can adopt on how to help your kids get and stay fit:

Kick them out. It is a proven fact that kids who are throwing balls, skipping rope, chasing each other and climbing on structures are more fit than kids who sit around the house. Just one detail... don't kick their cell phones and their iPods and their other anti-fitness equipment out with them.

Try more physical playing with your children. Chase your kids around. Bonus, you get exercise too.

Make Christmas a celebration of fitness. No, don't chase your kids up the tree...just give them some fitness toys instead of toys they would play sitting down.

Make fitness a family affair. You have probably already noticed how hard it is to find time to do things together as a family. This is your golden opportunity. The element of peer pressure (the whole family is going, so you can't skip out) will help the kids keep on track. And let's face the facts - it's not easy to keep fit when you are a parent. So why not find a family fitness center near you?

Choose hydraulic fitness equipment for your children. You will normally find these only at fitness centers (another reason to make fitness a family affair) What makes hydraulics special, is that they don't need to be adjusted for each child. The resistance depends on the force exerted. So your 6 year old, who pushes with less intensity, will face less resistance than your 12 year old, who will face more. This is far superior to weights, where you have to keep adjusting the amount of weight until you get it right.

Try circuit training. This is also best done at a fitness center, because circuit training involves a variety of machines, all set up in a circuit. Kids accustomed to computer games, are less likely to be bored by circuit training, because they are constantly on the move from one machine to the other.

Sign them up for an organized physical activity, one where they will develop a sense of accomplishment . That sense of accomplishment is the motivation that keeps them going. It does not need to be competitive, but it does need to provide them with goals to work for. For example, sign them up for a dance class where there is a show to practice for at the end of the year. Or a swimming class where they can achieve various levels right up to certified life guard.

Don't just sign your kids up for a physical activity. Have them practice it at home...only, don't call it practice. That sounds too much like homework. Ask them instead to show you how good they are. That sounds a lot more like showing off and getting quality attention. (The ask them to show Aunt Penelope and cousin Bart and the next door neighbor and...)

Unplug the TV. If you can't limit their watching to an hour a day, limit the days on which you plug it in. Ditto for the computer and any other addictive screen-based electronic gadget.

Your kids won't like me for this one, but give your kids more household chores...specifically those that involve physical activity like mowing, raking and vacuuming. Caveat: this means that you will have to find new forms of exercise (but I think we covered that in the chasing your kids around and taking them to a family fitness center.

Walk more in real life. Do you take the stairs or the escalators? Well, so do your kids. Take them on the healthy route. Do you park near to a store (where your car will get dinged by other car doors) and deprive your kids and yourself from your rightful walking? Or do you park far away from the store where your car is safe from dents and where your kids and you are safe from inertia.

Oops. That's eleven. Oh well, you get a bonus tip.

So what's a parent to do? Chase your kids to a fitness center, put them on hydraulic fitness equipment for kids, give them more fitness equipment for Christmas (to replace the TV and gadgets they would otherwise play with) and put them to work around the house.

ABOUT THE WRITER

David Leonhardt is a freelance writer http://www.seo-writer.net