DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
The Young family is trying to get away from TV and video games and do more exercise. Kyra, 5, Amanda, 10, Rod Young and his wife, Diane, rode their bikes at Stadium Park on Friday.
The Keiki Try-Fest on May 16 offers
kids a fun taste of exercise
Working exercise into their busy lives has become a top goal for Rod and Diane Young and their two daughters.
"We're challenged and I think a lot of families are," he said.
Young, 42, employed in the care management department of Hawaii Medical Service Association, is an enthusiastic triathlete and cyclist who's encouraging his family to be physically active for a healthy lifestyle.
He said he tries to ride his bike every day at lunch and "hang out with the kids" at the end of the day.
"I'm the opposite of Rod," said Diane, a First Insurance Company manager. "I'm pretty much a couch potato. It's (exercise) a means of trying to stay healthy. I'm not doing as well as I could, but I'm really trying."
She said her husband has always been disciplined about exercise. "For me and for the kids it's difficult to schedule something and be diligent about it because of our work schedules," Diane said.
She said she uses an exercise bike at home in the evenings "for convenience and time," takes family walks, enjoys swimming and goes to yoga once a week.
Amanda, celebrating her 10th birthday tomorrow, often swims with her mother and goes bike-riding with her dad.
She had leukemia when she was about 5 months old, her father said. "It was very traumatic but she passed the five-year mark a few years ago and she's just moving on.
"She isn't as active as we'd like her to be," he said, noting she likes to watch TV and play video games like other kids her age. "We're trying to get her out a little more."
She doesn't like competitive sports, he said, so he and his wife "have got to make a commitment and find things they can enjoy. Parents need to guide them to doing something and spend that time."
A fourth-grader at Kahala Elementary School, Amanda said she tried soccer and basketball but prefers swimming. She also takes karate three times a week and hula after school.
She said her little sister, Kyra, 5, "likes to do the stuff I do."
But the Waiokeola Church preschooler is much more active, her mother said. "She never sits still." She's taking a dance class and her parents recently signed her up for soccer. "She learned how to ride a bike at 3," her father said.
He said they're trying to set "little goals" for Amanda, who is practicing for the Keiki Fun Run and Try-Fest May 16 at Kakaako District Park.
The Children's Discovery Center and HMSA, co-sponsors, say "every finisher is a winner" in the 2-mile Keiki Fun Run, starting at 8 a.m. for kids 12 and younger.
The Keiki Try-Fest, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., gives kids fun things to do "without being locked into a sport," Rod Young said.
They can sample different health and fitness activities such as hula, lacrosse, dance, karate, gymnastics and others to see what they like.
Amanda also became interested in the Keiki Magic Triathlon July 17 at Ala Moana Beach Park after seeing one of her school mates in the Honolulu Triathlon April 18, her father said. "She was so excited about it. We started riding our bikes more."
The deadline to register for the Keiki Fun Run is May 1, with a fee of $12 for children and $5 for an accompanying adult. Registration forms are available at the Children's Discovery Center or from www.HMSA.com. The Try-Fest is free. For more information, call 524-KIDS (5437).
