Like many of you, when the sun came up in the morning I was outside going 1000mph all day every day, and in the summer it was past dark:30 before I came in. And only then to go to sleep just to wake up and start again the next day!
We didn't play Call of Duty on TV back then. We WERE the game but outside and in the woods running, yelling and hollering having the time of our lives! My son unfortunately for most of his elementary and high school days (til his Junior year) was the poster child for exactly what we are discussing here. Playing video games and watching all these silly kid TV shows instead of being outside riding a bike or shooting hoops. Im to blame. As we all know they didn't issue parenting books when our kids were born so we just followed what everyone else was doing, ease of convenience, or just flat didn't get them outside enough. But like the OP said we do need to get this information out to new, soon-to-be-parents. Or else, this is only going to get worse and worse. Put down the cotton picking X-box and game station controllers and MAKE the kids get outside. Go WITH THEM is the key like CM said earlier. Be the example. Don't just point outside! It's the only way they will buy into it and know being healthy is important - now and for their future health.
I remember one time when my son was young he was HOOKED on this Teenage Turtle program. Obssessed is more like it. I walked in one day knowing he had watched hours of it and told him to cut it off for now. He said "no". Folks, I think for the only time in my life I can say I actually tranformed into a Transformer. I almost came out of my skin. I walked over to the VCR, picked it up and put it on the floor and proceeded to stomp on it. Well, needless to say it wasn't the popular thing at the moment but he got my point. (Bad example of how to handle disobedience as I wasn't always perfect! lol) And even worse, I went right out and bought another not long after! My point is this - had I known the direction he was headed I would have went and bought a new bike instead!
Ok, Im rambling now.
What is alarming is this report that just came out about how obesity is adversely affecting Military recruitment now as well. Just a sad state.
Military recruitment grapples with ObesityJust an excerpt from the above link about how pricey obesity costs the military annually. How this money could be spent so much more effective.
"And with the military annually discharging more than 1,200 first-time enlistees before their contract expirations because of weight problems, according to the report, obesity imposes a hefty $60 million price tag for the military to recruit and train replacements."