Why “Kids Are Just Lazy Nowadays” Isn’t An Excuse

04 Apr Why “Kids Are Just Lazy Nowadays” Isn’t An Excuse

Here’s the thing: I believe in kids nowadays.

It’s the adults, stakeholders, organizations, and people in charge I don’t believe in.

Quality physical education is waning. Gym teachers are getting laid off. Parents are browsing their phones. Parents are stocking the living room with video games. Kids aren’t being taken to the playground.

Yeah. I’m looking at you, adults.

What’s funny is, the people who complain about kids being lazy are the ones who are failing to set a positive example.

With that said, less complaining, and more leading by example.

Let me ask you this: if you are a parent, team coach, or teacher, what are you doing to inspire a love for movement?

If you’re someone who is sedentary, sits on their couch with a bag of Cheetos and watches CNN all day, the chances of your child following suit are high.

And if you’re a family that doesn’t get outside to bike, hike, play, run, then the chances your child will stay in and play video games all day are also high.

And if you’re a family who stocks the pantry with Cheetos, Cocoa Puffs, and Oreos, don’t complain to me, “my kids struggle to eat healthy, Erica!”

Look: you don’t need a degree from Harvard to know that behaviors are learned.

Kids look up to us adults, so instead of blaming them for their laziness and terrible health, how are we taking responsibility? How are we taking action to foster an environment that gets them moving and living well?

Sure, there are outliers. There are kids who are autonomous, and who love working out without a parent or coach barking at them. These kids, however, are few and far between.

Overall, most need help in today’s distracting, digital age.

I mean heck, if I were born with an iPhone in-hand, I’d find it hard to get outside, too, and would need a role model to look up to. To that end, kids are innocent, naive beings who need some degree of guidance.

Because this much I know: today’s society isn’t changing, folks.

Video games, TVs, iPads and iPhones are here to stay.

We need to do better.

We need to adapt.

We need to not be lazy ourselves, and get creative.

This reminds me, I recently had a conversation with a mother of a girl I train, and told her how impressed I was with her child’s intrinsic motivation to work out.

But yo, get this: the mother told me they have a full gym in their basement and the parents have worked out for years while the kids were growing up.

Now, their daughter is in high school and movement is an engrained habit. And every time she comes to work with me in the gym, she has a smile on her face and is pumped to lift weights.

Truthfully, this story is inspiring.

And I’m going to take a wild guess: this girl will grow up to be someone who doesn’t make a fitness New Year’s Resolution for all but one month. Instead, she’s going to practice fitness daily and for a lifetime.

Okay, maybe I’m being hard on everyone. Good. I enjoy calling people out on their crap because it propels them to take radical action.

So if you’re a parent and triggered by this article, study and understand that trigger.

It means something needs to change.

*steps off podium*

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