FITNESS CAN BE A FAMilY AFFAIR

Their friends affectionately call them "Team Rocket" after the roller-blading, skateboarding, surfing characters on Nick elodeon's Rocket Power cartoon. That's because the Mittet family of Weston Mom, Dad, two boys and even the pet bunny, who plays soccer - are into a variety of sports and activities.

On any given day, Dad, Robert Mittet, can be seen roller-skiing (inline skating with ski poles) down the streets of his neighborhood or heading to the park with his all-terrain vehicle in tow. Meanwhile, Mom, Cindy Mittet, will be out on her usual seven-mile run or riding the moun tain bike trails in Markham Park. Sean, 9,

and Erik, 6, love to do it all with or with out Mom and Dad. They are proficient on skateboards, inline skates, mountain bikes and motor bikes, and love to ski and snowboard. Their dad even built them their own half-pipe in the back yard for practicing their skating and skateboarding jumps and tricks.

The family motto is, "Just try it." "We've just always exposed them to everything we can," Robert Mittet says aqout his sons. "You can't force them to do anything. But if you make it fun, they will try it.

"A lot of times. we just decide to go out and do some activity on the spur of the

SOUTH FLORIDA PARENTING. www.sfparenting.com

BY ELLEN WOLFSON VAllADARES

nps for the Not-50-Extreme Family

So you're not quite. ready, able or willing to take up mountain biking or start running marathons? Not to worry. Anyone at any level of fitness can enjoy active time with the whole family, says Sharon Pardo, program coordinator for Rtworks in Weston. a pediatric weight management facility. Since every fami ly is unique, it is up to the family to find the level of activity that is best for them. And of course, to keep it up, you'll need to find activities that you enjoy doing.

Pardo offers these tips and suggestions for getting started and staying committed to a healthy and active lifestyle.

For adults who have been sedentary, the first order of business before jumping into a more active lifestyle is talking to your doctor.
Prioritize your time. You will never find "more time." The key is to

make your health a priority

and prioritize what you devote

your time to doing. Devoting

15 minutes or one-half hour a

day to exercise or an activity

is better than doing nothing

at all.

moment. They'll get in the car on five minutes' notice because they know what ever we're doing is going to be fun.'~

The Mittets are among many extreme and extremely active families in South Florida who active recreation together. In these families, the parents do more than sign up their children for league sports. They set the example by participating in their own adult soccer leagues, running marathons, or just getting on their bikes and riding alongside their children. As a result, they are not only living healthier lives and helping their children establish healthy habits, but they also have discov ered that fitness is a wonderful way to spend quality family time together.

They are the minority of families, but studies indicate that most of us would

as the Mittets or Burris to enjoy the bene fits of family fitness. Walking, biking, skating or tossing a ball or Frisbee as a family works just as well, says Dr. Andrea Com, a child and family psychologist with a specialty in youth and adolescent athletes. Anyone's family motto can be "Just Try It" - even if it's Mom or ::lad who has to be coaxed along.

"Playing together is good for the family collectively," Com says. "You want to be able to be with each other outside of the typical structure of homework, school, and bedtime routines. When you partici pate in an activity such as bike-riding together, you get out of the traditional roles you have inside the home and you see each other in a different light."

Active parents pass on a life-affirming

Set realistic goals. If you have not been exercising, don't expect to jump right into a vigorous fitness pro gram. Start off slowly and increase gradually.
Make a family fitness con tract. Have everyone in the family sign a contract agree ing that you will undertake some exercise or activity together. Keep it simple and make it specific. For exam ple, everyone agrees to take a walk three times a week.
Keep a family fitness log. Writing down your daily activities and nutrition is a great way to ensure that you continue doing it.
Get outside and do something with the kids that everyone enjoys, such as walk ing, biking, or throwing the ball around.
Increase your physical activity by parking farther away from the store's entrance, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and walking the dog more often.
Consistency is key. By making physical activity and fitness a pattern, you u Iti mately make it part of your lifestyle.

like to be more like them. In a study com missioned in 2003 by the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, parents were asked to rate the importance of physical activity on a scale of I-to-l0, with 10 being extremely important. The mean score: 9. Still, 54 percent of respondents said they had either no time or wished they had more time to spend in physical activity with their children.

To that, marathon runner and mother of two Karen Burris says: "If there is time to be a couch potato, there is time to go on a neighborhood bike ride."

Families don't have to be as "extreme"

34 SOUTH FLORIDA PARENTING. www.sfparenting.com

value, Corn says, as long as they remem ber to keep it fun, especially while the children are between the ages of 6 and 12.

"The NO.1 reason for children to be in sports is to have fun. The NO.1 reason they drop out is because it's not fun," she says. "As long as parents are respectful of their child's temperament and disposi tion, then it is constructive. They learn that it's fun to do exercise and fun to do activities together. That's a wonderful message."

Inspired by her husband and sons, Cindy Mittel took up mountain biking and placed second in women's beginners horizontal. FAMI Y PHOTO

ot Just For 0YS

Karen Burris of Davie says that her moth er has often remarked that Karen, her hus band, Wes, and daughters, Courtney, 10, and Hailey, 7, do not know how to rest.

"We are always active and on the go.

That's what works for us," Burris says.

The family's shared passion is water skiing. Every weekend, they launch their boat on the 26-acre lake made for water craft at Markham Park and take turns ski ing. The parents slalom, Dad does a few ski tricks, and the girls play on two skis, a wake board or a knee board.

"It's a part of our lives," Karen Burris says. "The girls don't know any other life. They have been on the boat since they were babies and they love it."

Like many active families, one activity isn't enough. Wes Burris is also an avid mountain biker and has participated in adventure races that include mountain biking, kayaking, and other outdoor chal lenges. The girls play soccer, do gymnas tics, and enjoy mountain biking with Dad. The family has gone snow skiing and hik ing together.

Karen Burris' latest physical challenge is training for and running marathons. She recently completed the New York marathon, after which Courtney proudly boasted to her friends that her mother "beat P. Diddy in the marathon." This month, she is participating in the Disney

12. in

he of

et n

Erik Mittet, then 3, sKatelloaras. Whatever the Sport, the Mittet boys' parents make sure they have the proper safety equipment. FAMILY PrlO·O

8160 W. Broward Blvd .. Plantation· 954-423-6644· Est. 1971 Shops at Blo:. ud • 8elllno Hro:,ard fv1all

unburst Pageant" Baby Contest Model Search

Qualify to Win

$10,000

Savings Bonds Over 3 Million Awarded Annually!

GIRLS

4-6,7-10. 11-13, 14-17 & 18-27

Cutler Ridge Mall, MIAMI • February Coral Square Mall. February 15th

Entries may be pIcked up at the Mall Customer Service Center To have an entry mailed to you phone

(850) 893·5316

e-mail: Sunburst6@junD.cDm www.Sunburstbeauty.com

JAN UARY 2004 • SOUTH FLORIDA PARENTING 35

Governor's Task Force Taking On Obesity Epidemic

While many families are commit ted to health and fitness, statis tics show alarming trends of obesity and inactivity among adults and children. Gov. Jeb Bush created the Governor's Task Force on the Obesity Epidemic to address the issue in Florida. The task force is expected to present its findings and recommendations for dealing with obesity in Febru ary 2004.

Here are some of the statis tics that the task force hopes to tackle and change:

14 percent of high school students are at risk for over weight and an additional 10 percent are overweight (The 2001 Youth Risk Behavior Survey) ..
16 percent of middle school students are at risk for over weight and 11.5 percent of middle school students are overweight (2002 Florida Youth Tobacco Survey).

In 2002, 57.4 percent of adults were overweight or obese, a 63 percent increase since 1986 (2002 Behavioral RiSK Factor Surveillance Survey).

Statistics also show that television watching and inactivity are on the rise, factors

that can lead to a higher caloric intake

and obesity.

Less than 50 percent of Florida high school students attended physical edu cation classes on one or more days dur ing an average week. (2002 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey).
65 percent of high school students watched two or more hours of television on an average school day (2002 Behav ioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey).
Children 6 and under spend an average of two hours a day using screen media, which is about the same amount of time they spend playing outside, and well over the amount of time they spend reading (Zero to Six: Electronic Media in the Lives of Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers study by Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Oct. 2003)

For more information on overweight and obe sity, visit www.doh.state.fl.us or www.cdc.gov.

marathon, which takes runners through three theme parks.

"The marathons are extreme, even for me," says Burris, who works full time'. "I do my training at 4 a.m. so I can get home in time to take the girls to school."

Burris realizes that most moms don't have the time or energy to work out for two or three hours before dawn. But she says any family can find the time for some exercise. "Even if it's just 10 min utes. Where there's a will there's a way," she says.

Doug and Lisa Yglesias of Palmetto Bay, south of Miami, had plenty of excuses for not being active. There was work and then the kids, who seemed to take up what time was left. Who had time to exer cise?

Three years ago, they threw the excuses out the window and started a diet and exercise program. They each lost more than 20 pounds.

A little more than year ago, Doug Ygle-

36 SOUTH FLORIDA PARENTING. www.sfparenting.com

hiJ ho ho up thf an ab

Jw an

an 51< pI:

sic stc hi:

ur wi ab hI he

sias was ready to try something new, so he entered the 5K Thrkey Trot in Miami. "I thought it would be a great example to the kids," he says. "I discovered that there is this whole other world in Miami that tries to be healthy. I was very impressed, and I made some new friends that day."

From there, he went on to enter a mountain bike race, a triathlon, and an adventure race. Recently, spurred on by a friend who beat cancer, he and his wife joined the Team in Training to raise money for leukemia and lymphoma research and to train for the Disney marathon (26.2 miles).

Yglesias says their renewed commit ment to fitness has had positive effects on the whole family. He, his wife and the children, Justin, 8, and Matthew, 6, all spend more time outdoors and away from the television set.

"We have the best talks when we are

iti fo:

dE ex it':

th fu

or te: m su Ie, de bE

l Fe fu

sJ: ju

Doug and Lisa Yglesias, along with sons Justin and Matthew, enjoy exercising and competing together in a variety of sports. FAMILY PHOTO

W VE

dl pI

'o1'l..e-nUID.'E, \O'E,e\n.e!;' ne ~a'j~. "'{O\l mo"W no"W 'he \ia.~ come nome ana. 'j0\l as~

no"W \n.e'u: a.a'j "Was ana. \n.e'j ~eem \0 c\am. \l"Q. '\Nb.en. "We 'i,e\ O\l\ \n.e1:e on. fue u1'l..e~, \n.e'j \us\ ~eem \0 ~~n. I:ne'j ~\an. \a\\;in.'E,

ana. \a\'iin.'E, ana. \e\\\n.'i, 'j0\l eve!'(llUn'E, a'oo\l\ \n.e'u: a.a"j~."

I:ne 'oo"j~ nave \n.e'u: own. ac\iv1.u.e~ \00. )\ls\in. nas "Q\a'jea. ~l)cce! s\n.ce ne "Was ~

ana. Ma\'tn.e"W \ove~ ~osu.c~. 'Do'h uO'j~ are \oo'6.i.n'i, \o1:"Wan\ \0 "Q'OI'Iic\."Qa\in.'E, \n. \n.e ';:,"K \)\.~n.e'j ranill'j r\ID. "R\ID. fua\ \ake~ "Q\ac.e 'oeb!e \n.e man.\n.on..

The "Wno\e \anill'j - \n.c.\\lUID.'E, '{ 'i,\e-

~'l.~ \a\n.e!, "Wnom \)0\l'E, nos ~"Q'u:ea. \0 stan. exe!c.\.s\n.'E, a'E,ain. a\ \n.e a'E,e 0\ 0';:" ana. IDs s'l.s\.e! - "Q'OI'Iic\."Qa\eQ. \n. \n.e "Dee!\n.'E, "Bs\a\e ':."K "W;&'h\ID. \os\ reU1:\lar:l.

'{ iles\.os \oo~ \01:"WO.!Q. \0 \n.e eO.!\'j Sa\ \llQ.a'j monll:u'E, UaID.ID.'E, ses~\.om, "W'l.\n. m~ wue. "\~s a Q.ate \Cl! \ls."We 'E,et \0 t;&. aDO\l\ eve!'j\IDn'E,. t\n.Q. "We O.!e snO.!ID.'E, 'Ibis 'o.\l'E,e ~en.~e 0\ accom"Qus'mn.en.\ \o'E,e\n.e!;' 'o.e sa'js. "Gu.! 'E,oa\. \.s to fullsn \n.e

mara\n.on. anQ. to C!O~S \n.e uro.sn \me no\UID.'E, nanOs."

'{ iles\.os \.s "Q1:0\lQ. \0 ue "Q1:0v1.UID.'E, a "Qos 'l.\ive e="Q\e 0\ 'E,ooQ. nea\.\n. anQ. u\n.ess

\O! ms d:mmen..

""We mo"W \n.a\. 11 "We 'nu.llQ. a 'E,ooQ. \O\ID.-

ila.\ion. \01: \n.em anQ. \e\. \n.em mo"W \n.a\

ml.e1:c.\.s\n.'i, ~ n.o\ auo\l\ s-ulie!\n.'E" U\l\ \n.a\

'l.,(s 0.\0\ 01. ron ou\. \n.e1.e," ne say,,>, "\n.en. fue'j Will. "Want \.0 Q.o \.\. os o"Q"QoseQ. \0 ~\.\ Un'E, \n. tron.\ 01. a TI O! v1.a.eo screen.." 'D\lTI\.s ~a'j~ se\.\in.'i, \n.e exam."Q\e n.o\

om'] %e~ \n.e nQ.s 01.1. \n.e'u Q.u.1.1.S, 'nu\. also \2acnes \n.em \.0 nave COUIa'E,e anQ. Q.e\.e! \'1l\.na.\i0n.. "I:ne 'E,'u\s mo"W \n.a\. \n.e!e \.s n.o ~u.c'n 'IIDn'E, os ''jO\l Call\ Q.o \.\.' P\.\. \n.e ~as\, ']OU 'Ir:1 ']OUI ues\.;' sne sa'js. "'/:ou qout nave \.0 'ne '\he 'oes\., \ust 'E,1.ve 'jOUI ~\ e1.1.m:\. I:'o.a\ 'E,0es 1.Cl! all. 'IIDn'E,~."

\\\~\ \t'j \\

"lto'!: \n.e "Mi.\\e\ l:amll'j Ws a\."Wa'js auo\l\ \\m.. I:ne!e O.!e n.o\ man'j !e'E,\.m.en.\eQ.

11\	S\)o!\s 01. u\n.ess !()\l\in.e~ \n. 'Ibis 1.anill'j,

~\ a "Qoss'l.on. 1m action..

"?'o\n. 01. '\he Mi.\\e\. uO'js "We!e 'm '\he

'Na~!, on. " •• nee\~, anQ. \n. \n.e sn.o"\'1 1:!om

'Ie!,:! ':l0\ID.'i, a'E,e~ - \lQo'E,1.e uoO.!UID.% a~ \.0Q. ~<ats, 'tlMn.% "\'I'l.'\hou\. ua'mID.% "\Nnee\s as ~I>cnoo\e~. \\ took C'rn.c.'j Mi.\\e\. a "Wm\e

Fostering Healthy Attitudes

Andrea Corn, a child and family psycholo gist with a specialty in youth and adoles cent athletes, offers this advice for helping children develop a positivE: attitude toward sports and fitness. She calls these the "building blocks to foster self-confidence in your child's play."

Strengthen the bonds of trust by being sincere. Give pats on the back and smiles, as both go a long way.
Be encouraging and point out the posi tive. Help your child believe in him or herself. You want your child to know he or she is valued' for who he or she is, not just what sport he or she plays.

to adapt to watching her kids participate in extreme activities. "I was kind of like the mother bear at first, very protective and cautious," she says. "But then I real ized that [the boys' father] Robert, while he is extreme, is very safety-conscious. The boys know they never do anything without their helmets and all the right equipment. It's second nature to them."

As her sons grew, they headed out more often with their dad to go mountain bik ing or motorcycle riding. Cindy Mittet was feeling left out and knew she would have to make some changes if she wanted to keep up with her boys.

On her 40th birthday, her husband bought her a mountain bike. She wasn't sure she would ride the rough trails, but

she had to go with the family motto and just try it. Her first day out on the moun tain bike trail was magical, she says. She loved the sport and she loved being with her family.

Now, the boys are cheering for their mom in her own extreme sports. She has entered several mountain bike races, off-road

Keep family practices fun. Model fair play and good sportsmanship.
Offer compassion rather than criticism.
Be realistic about your child's abilities.

It's not about being the very best, but about having fun and learning new skills.

Create the space to allow your child to fulfill his or her drE;lqms. If your child shows an interest in another sport, sup port this interest. Over time, you and your child will know what best fits his or her personality and abilities.

duathlons, and running races, as well as a triathlon, in which she and her husband both participated. She has won and placed in many of the competitions.

"I never believed I would be sitting here, competing and doing it at this level," Mittet says. "If I can do this, any body can."

The greatest reward, though, has been spending more time with her family doing things they all love to do.

The Mittets, the Burrises, and the Yglesias es all say they hope that being active with their children while they're young will make family life so much fun that the kids will still want to be with the family when

they reach their

teenage years.

The Eberhart family in Boca Raton can assure them that the family that plays togetherstaystogethe~

The Eberharts have always been active. Mom, Lidia Eberhart, runs, walks and plays soccer. Dad, Jim Eber hart, runs, walks and

38 SOUTH FLORIDA PARENTING' www.sfparenting.com

On weekends, Courtney Burris, her sister and par ents take turns water ski ing behind their boat at Markham Park in Sunrise. FAMILY PHOTO

plays soccer, basketball and softball. Christina, 17, has played soccer most of her life, and is on the cross-country team and flag football team in high school. Stephen, 16, has played soccer and base ball, and is now on his high school junior varsity football team.

But it's the family's "active" vacations that have kept them close, Lidia Eberhart says. When Stephen was only 5 and Christina 7, they spent five days exploring and hiking in Yellowstone National Park.

"They did pretty well. I was really impressed how Stephen, just 5 years old, kept up with us," she says. "That was the beginning of our active vacations."

Over the years, they have done a little of everything. They have gone hiking, backpacking and camping in Alaska and several state and national parks. They go snow skiing almost every year. "In the last two or three years, the kids have gotten so much better than us," Eberhart says.

Last summer, their family adventure took them backpacking for five 'nights and six days on a portion of the Appalachian Thail in North Carolina. They carried all their provisions on their backs, hiked dur ing the day, got their water from the brooks they passed, and set up camp every night.

"It was extreme but very rewarding," Lidia says. "The four of us together for five nights, sitting around the fire, telling stories, talking, just being together. I wouldn't miss it for the world and I tell everyone I would do it all again."

And of course, they will.

Even though the kids will soon be going off to college, Lidia says she knows the family vacations will continue. Christina plans to put off starting college until she can get in "one more fun vacation."

Lidia's advice to families with young children who are thinking about taking an active outdoor vacation? "Just do it. Just pick up the phone and start making the plans. Make sure you have the right equipment. That's it," she says. "It's a lot of fun and well worth it."

Ellen Wolfson Valladares is a freelance writer and mother of two. She lives in Weston.