Healthy Steps
How do I encourage my pre-teen with autism to be more active? He likes to sit for hours on end fiddling with the remote control and watching the same video over and over. Exercise and healthy living are not on his radar screen.
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Sometimes we have to be a bit sneaky to impact the health and fitness of less active individuals with autism. Nagging rarely produces positive results. One thing to remember is that every step counts when considering health and fitness. Here are a few ideas that might encourage your son to take more steps.
1. Pedometer. Purchase your youngster a pedometer to substitute for the remote. Maybe he can log his steps every hour or so. Encourage more walking with awards. You can give a star or a high-five or a mint for every 100 steps.
2. Stealth parking. Remember to park as far away from your destination as possible at school, the grocery store, and the park in order to add steps. Remember: more steps = more fitness.
3. A little food with your exercise? One trick that works well for some folks is combining the less desirable activity – exercise – with the most popular activity – eating! So, have your youngster pack sack lunches or a picnic, then take a trek to the most distant picnic table in the park to enjoy lunch.
4. Around the house. Don’t forget about opportunities to walk while at home. Your son might retrieve the mail or walk your dog. Use flags to mark a winding path in your back yard and encourage him to follow the path around three times – one time very slow, one time at regular speed, and one time very fast. He can log how many steps it takes to get around the pathway.
Remember that your goal is simply to encourage him to take steps, and to add more steps every day. Even a little exercise can impact overall health, so add steps at every opportunity.
We welcome your input. Share challenges and ideas based on your experiences or intuition. Just click on the comments button or send an e-mail to talk@FAQautism.com.
NOTE TO READERS AND LISTENERS: I am Cathy Knoll, a board certified music therapist and long-time friend of many folks with autism. At FAQautism.com we are committed to providing free, practical, everyday tips for making life better for people with autism. Feel free to send me an email with your thoughts or challenging situations or innovative solution. Send email to talk@FAQautism.com And don’t forget to check out our website for a wealth of ideas and a glimpse into the world of autism. http://FAQautism.com
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