Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com
Published - Saturday, September 06, 2008
Terry Rindfleisch: Help kids get off on ‘right foot’ by walking to school
When I was a kid, I had to walk or bike to school.
My dad took the only car our family owned to work and my mother didn’t drive. I know times have changed, but we all can do more to help our children exercise and add more physical activity to their lives.
Members of the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition are encouraging area children to start the school year off on the “right foot” by walking or biking to school rather than being driven.
Walking or biking to school is an easy way to get in the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity a day, said Linda Lee, a member of the coalition and nutrition director for the La Crosse County Health Depart-ment.
Lee said if children live too far from school, then parents can drop them off five or six blocks away and let them walk the rest of the way.
“We can develop drop-off points so kids can walk together,” Lee said. “It is a way to build activity into their day, and that activity is part of their normal day.”
Lee said she is seeing more children walking and biking to school. She said schools such as Irving Pertzsch Elemen-tary School in Onalaska and Franklin and Emerson schools in La Crosse have developed safe routes for children to walk and bike.
“I think when we get more kids walking and more people off the streets, there are fewer safety issues,” Lee said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20 percent to 25 percent of the morning traffic during the school year is parents driving kids to school.
“If more children walked, we could reduce road congestion and its accompanying air quality and community impact considerably,” Lee said.
The obesity coalition says walking and biking also can benefit children by:
Helping them learn good safety habits. When children ride in cars everywhere, they don’t learn or get to practice safe walking and biking habits — habits that will last their lifetime.
Enhancing their academic performance. When children are active in the morning, they arrive at school more awake and ready to learn.
Helping them learn about their neighborhood, make new friends and develop a feeling of belonging. They also learn to be more independent.
“I think there is a movement in this direction because I see more kids on bicycles than ever before,” Lee said. “Gas prices have impacted parents’ ability and willingness to ferry their kids around. I see it as a positive thing.”
Lee said if walking or biking every day seems too big of a commitment at first, parents and schools can encourage children to commit to walking one day each week to get started.
The coalition is organizing the 2008 Coulee Region Walk to School Challenge in October during Walk to School month. For more information, check out the coalition’s Web site at www.childhoodobesity coalition.org.
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