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Scott Webb (Host): Hello, and welcome to Checkup Chat with EvergreenHealth. And today we have Rachel Chesley joining us from EvergreenHealth Primary Care Sulton. She's an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner, and she's here today to discuss an important topic for parents and children, and that's exercise. Rachel, welcome. Thanks for joining us on Checkup Chat. Let's start by having you tell us a little bit about yourself.

Rachel Chesley, ARNP (Guest): So I'm a Family Nurse Practitioner, and I work in primary care with Evergreen. And so I see babies, older kids, adults, older adults, geriatrics, just the whole lifespan. So, yeah, it's really fun. I have enjoyed getting to know my patients kind of over time and, in family practice, we, a lot of times we'll see multiple family members, so that's pretty rewarding. So yeah, it's pretty fun.

Host: So we're going to talk primarily about exercise today, specifically about our kids and how much they should be doing. And when maybe they're doing not enough or too much and so on. And I know that they say, you know, for adults, it should be something like 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week. But what are the recommendations for children and why is exercise so important for our kiddos?

Rachel: For kids, it's little bit different than for adults. For kids, when we think about there's a lot of reasons why they should be getting exercise. And one of the first ones, when they're first born, is to develop their motor skills. So when you think about babies, you know, when they first come out, don't really do a lot. But they have to learn how to do all of the things that we all do. So learning how to, you know, go on tummy time and how to push their heads up and those types of things. And then as they get a little bit older, how to walk and run and all of those skills that we all learn when we're a little babies and young kids.

So those are kind of some of the first things that are important for exercise. And you don't really think about it as exercise when they're little, but it is. And then, as kids get older, a lot of their exercise is really just play. And so, you know,just doing whatever that kids like to do, running around and playing with other kids and stuff like that. It really is exercise too. And then for older kids, a lot of times it can be play and it can also be sports and things like that. So it just kind of depends on where the kids are at developmentally and just the types of exercise that might be appropriate for them at that age. For kids, it's really important that they are exercising to keep their body healthy, but other components of that are, we want to keep their minds healthy.

So we have a lot of research that shows that physical activity helps with attention and it also can help with mood. So, as kids that are getting a little bit older and they're in school, or, even into high school, we have research that shows this is going to be beneficial for their ability to succeed in school. And also just to maybe stave off some anxiety or depression, which are some problems that can be fairly common in adolescents. So it's good for all sorts of different reasons.

Host: Yeah, definitely. And we think about our kids as they begin to get older and they get more serious about sports, you know, helping them to prepare for those sports, avoid injuries, recover from injuries. Maybe you can sort of take us through when you think about the different ages of kids and when it's appropriate, maybe to get more serious about this type of stuff.

Rachel: I think that you really have to look at the kid that you have and, you know, thinking about like, well, what's enjoyable for them. Cause when you come back to it at the end of the day, it should be fun. Right. And so one of the things that we really have to think about is like, okay, is this overly stressful mentally or emotionally? Is it too stressful on their body? Like, what's our goals here. And so I think that's really important for parents to think about. And I know that kids athletics, these days, it's a lot different than it was, you know 20 years ago, as far as the competitiveness that can happen and things like that. So, all families will have different goals and priorities, but I think it's just important to look at is your child's still having a good time, are they building healthy habits that are gonna keep their body healthy for a long time?

And not just trying to be so competitive that they really do hurt themselves. So if they do need a little extra support, you know, seeking care from their primary care provider or getting referred to a physical therapist or something like that is a great idea.

Host: Yeah, and it seems like sports, like basketball in particular have become basically year round sports, you know? And so trying to vary, I'm sure. Maybe that's one of the recommendations for kids is to vary what they do, right. Not to just always play the same sport, but mix in some other things, some other activities, martial arts, whatever it might be. I'm sure there's some real value in that in sort of not focusing on one thing too early, right?

Rachel: Right. You know, you think about, kids are just learning about the world. And so to give them the opportunity to learn about all sorts of different sports and also to develop all sorts of different muscle groups so that they have the skills to take into adulthood. So, I'm not going to be one to say that you should never just really enjoy and focus on one sport.

But I think that if your kid is open to it, trying all sorts of different things is a great idea, and can be really good for their body and also to, you know, keep it fun for them.

Host: Yeah, it does seem that physical activity has benefits for the mind, the body, maybe the spirit as well. And we think about parents being models and role models for our kids. We are very much that for our kids. They look to us, they look up to us and whether it comes to, you know, screen time, something like that, or in this case with exercise.

So what can we do to encourage them? And would that maybe include us going for you know those types of things with them, play basketball with them, go for walks with them. What's our role in this?

Rachel: Yeah, I think that's so important. So I always like to encourage my patients to make exercise a part of their daily life. So as a family, can you come up with some things to do as a family that keep everybody active together. So it is something the parents can do with the kids, whether it's playing a sport or going for a walk somewhere, or, you know, going swimming or whatever it is that they enjoy doing, something that you can do with your own kids.

And then I also think that if parents have sports that they like to do themselves, you know, whether they're runners or, like to go for bike rides themselves or whatever, just doing your thing and modeling that for your kid is worth a ton. So kids obviously, really are always watching their parents, right? So you can say anything, but if you're not modeling it yourself, your kid's gonna know. So I think that just as a parent, developing a healthy relationship with exercise and a healthy relationship with your body is always going to be a good example for your child.

Host: Yeah, and as much as maybe some of us parents would like to adopt the do, as I say, not as I do approach as parents, it's a tough sell for kids, especially as they get older and finding things that we all have in common that we enjoy doing together.,Those are some of my favorite memories of my kids, especially when they were younger.

And some kids like to run and play and do sports and all that. And some kids like to play video games and like to read books and there's a wide range. But when we think about the kids that aren't as active, that don't enjoy exercising, what are your recommendations to help motivate them, to find ways for them to be physically active for all the benefits we've talked about here, but something that they actually want to do. And it doesn't feel like a job, you know.

Rachel: Yeah, I mean, it can be really tricky if kids have had a bad experience in the past with exercise or team sports. And so I think, it's usually just kind of a exploratory mission and just try all sorts of different things that you think might be fun. And like we talked about before with the whole family doing activities together, I think can be really motivating. So just finding ways to incorporate physical activity into the day. So for kids that don't want to do an organized sport or go for a run, going for a walk, maybe just in the evening after school with mom to spend some time and kind of catch up on the day or talk about what's going on in their life. For some kids that can be really motivating. It doesn't have to be something that's just a specific, organized sport. So unstructured play or unstructured physical activity can be perfect. The goal is just that it's happening every day. And for school aged kids, ideally for an hour, every day,

Host: Yeah, we don't want it to feel like a job and wanted to ask you about exercise and wanting our kids to be healthy mentally and physically. And we know there's just a lot of great benefits, but we also probably want to be careful about deemphasizing, how it will make them look right. We don't want them to be fixated on their weight necessarily, or their appearance necessarily. Like we want them to be well and physically active and healthy, but not in a way that makes them begin to worry too much about their weight or their eating or whatever. Right?

Rachel: Absolutely. Yep. I think it's very important that when parents talk about exercise, that they talk about it in a healthy way. And again, I think that comes back to modeling for your kids. Making sure that you, yourself are developing a healthy relationship with exercise and that you're doing it for reasons to keep healthy and to feel good about your body.

And then that will reflect to your kids that, you know, this is how we think about exercise.

Host: Yeah, as you say, just trying to always do things in a very healthy and positive way. We're not exercising because we want you to look a certain way. It's just a good thing. It's good to be healthy and be healthy as a kid, you become a healthy adult and you know, everybody wins in that scenario.

And I know that obesity is a huge problem in this country, both in adults and children. So when would a parent, or when should a parent worry about a child who is overweight and what should they do about it?

Rachel: Yeah, so great question. I think that anytime you have any concern about your child's weight, talking to your child's primary care provider is a great strategy. So you may be concerned when there really isn't an issue or there might be an issue that you didn't really realize. So just having those regular check-ins in primary care can be very helpful.

And a lot of times, reassuring or at least come up with a strategy that everybody can feel good about.

Host: Yeah, never a bad plan to reach out, you know, to your primary care doctor to say, hey, here's what's going on. Or could we come in for a visit and a weight checkup, whatever it might be. And is it possible for kids to exercise too much? How can we spot the signs of an eating disorder or some sort of weight or exercise related disorder?

Rachel: It can be fairly nuanced. Anytime you notice that your child is maybe losing more weight than you think they should lose, or really for kids losing weight in general, we would want them to be checked up by their care provider.

Also if you notice that your child is just kind of being obsessive about exercising, You might think about getting them checked out. Exercising, it can take up a lot of time if it's just a hobby that the child really enjoys. So it's not necessarily wrong by any means to exercise a lot, but it is something that for some kids that can become problematic or dangerous. And so, definitely if you have any concerns, it's never wrong to just reach out and get a check.

Host: You know, Rachel, I'm sure there's a lot of research and literature out there, websites, apps, things like that. What would be some of the best stuff you could share?

Rachel: One that I really like for parents of young kids and school aged kids is called healthychildren.org. And it just has really nice information about guidelines for exercise. So, if you want to know how much exercise should your child be getting and what kind, you know, in even more detail than we were able to talk about today, they have a lot of good information.

Host: Yeah. And there's just so much out there. And the overriding goal today was just about trying to encourage healthy exercise, healthy habits, what parents can do, like what our role is in all of this. And it's been really fun, really educational. As we wrap up Rachel, what would be your final thoughts and takeaways? When we think about kids and exercise and progressing from little ones, just trying to like stand up, you know, when they go from crawling to standing all the way up to the travel athletes, playing, you know, highly competitive sports and the range of children and athletes that you see, what are your takeaways?

Rachel: Yeah. So I think really the big thing is just to incorporate exercise into your daily life. So it's something that you can carry on throughout your life, just so that you can be a healthy child, healthy adolescent and a healthy adult.

Host: Yeah, that's a perfect way to end. If we get them started in a healthy way when they're younger and whether they ever play competitive sports or not, just knowing the value of just being healthy right. Mentally. Physically getting some exercise, finding things that they enjoy doing.

If they don't enjoy playing on a team, and that kind of organized things, there's lots of other things. Take Rover for a walk, go for a run, you know, in the park with them, whatever it might be. So great today, Rachel, thanks so much. You stay well.

Rachel: Thank you.

Host: And to find a primary care partner to care for your family through every season of life, go to evergreenhealth.com. Please remember to subscribe, rate and review this podcast and all the other EvergreenHealth podcasts. For more health tips and updates, follow us on your social channels.