John and Tiffanie Ujfalusi and their children are good proof fitness is a meal best enjoyed as a family.
The two parents have become real fans of a family fitness session on Saturday morning at the Vic West Community Centre, specially designed for parents and children together.
It fit in perfectly with couple’s personal goals to get in shape and spend more time with their children, Jenna, four, Cameron, seven and Robert Call, 22.
“What I really like is that it gives us all time to play with the kids together,” said Tiffanie. “It’s not like we are here and the kids are over there, we are actually playing with them.”
It’s a report that would be music for John Stanton, founder of the Running Room, now with 120 outlets across Canada, and co-author of a new book, Family Fitness.
After pioneering a store specializing in promoting running as a lifestyle, introducing more than 800,000 people to the sport, Stanton, 65, is now looking to families. He believes the family unit is the last, best hope for beating the obesity crisis.
(The federal Public Health Agency of Canada estimates as many as 25 per cent of adult Canadians, 12 per cent of youth ages 12 to 17 and six per cent of kids six and under are obese.)
Stanton said his stores have had good success with clinics to introduce adults to running. But clinics for children always turn into drop-off centres for parents to leave the kids.
“We tried various clinics that centre around kids and the only ones that worked at all were the family clinics,” said Stanton, this past week, in Victoria to launch his new book.
But he hopes Family Fitness will be a resource to get families thinking of simple little things to be healthy and active together.
It could be something like a walk around the neighbourhood, as a family, after Sunday lunch. Or a family can take a picnic lunch to the park but bring along a Frisbee or soccer ball and play games.
“When the whole family plays it’s good for the grandparents, it’s good for Mum and Dad and it’s good for the children,” said Stanton.
“And if you’ve ever had teenagers, you’ll know sometimes conversation can be difficult, he said.
“But it’s amazing what games or sports will do,” said Stanton. “It improves the conversation to give everyone a chance for a playful exchange.”
He gives credit to people involved today in organized kids’ sports. Care, attention and clinics mean the neighbourhood, volunteer coach is better than ever. Facilities and equipment are all universally excellent.
But these activities are also becoming more costly and almost “elitist” in the children they attract.
“So if little Billy doesn’t want to play hockey the dad is thinking ‘That’s OK it will save us four or five grand,’” said Stanton. “Parents may not be discouraging their kids but they don’t encourage them.”
Also, little league sports are almost too organized. A new child, or perhaps one who is a little out of shape, can be too embarrassed to join in. It’s no different than out-of-shape adults who are intimidated about going to gyms.
And by expecting our children to play organized activities we remove opportunities for healthy growth. It’s good for kids to play their own games, with their own rules and referee themselves.
So Stanton said the modern family is great way to keep that healthy play alive. It doesn’t have to be about running, or conducting drills with a team. It just has to be about being active, together.
“I’m convinced if you are going to teach kids properly, you have to treat them like adults,” he said. “If you are going to teach adults, you have to treat them like children.”
“As adults we need to stay playful and joyful,” said Stanton. “With kids, we need to inform them and let them make some decisions on their own.”
Back with the Ujfalusi family their introduction to fitness as a family already seems to be paying off, just like Stanton predicts.
“My oldest son (22), he wanted to come along and even my own mother has said ‘I’d like to come too,” said Tiffanie.
“We really have our entire family wanting to go,” she said.
