Articles written by Devin Sherrington about health, wellness and fitness in regular column called Fit to Be Tried in the Daily News:

The Daily News - Fit to Be Tried by Devin Sherrington

Unplug your TV, turn off your computer, and put down those potato chips. Get moving to become a healthy family.

Parents today try to give children everything they need, from baggy jeans to Games Cubes. But we are giving them too much sedentary time.

More people are obese now than ever - including one in six Canadians, more than five million people! There are fewer physical labor jobs. More fatty foods. More time spent in front of the TV and computer.

You don't even have to get up and pick up the phone to talk to your friends. Now we use MSN.

Parents must lead the way so children become more physically active. You don't have push your children into 60-minute aerobic classes each week, or make them run half marathons. There are much simpler, and more fun ways, to promote health.

A family outing can be as simple as a walk down the road or on a trail for 30 minutes a day. Perhaps the first day will be hard, but soon your whole family will be excited to go.

If you enjoy yourself, children will feel it must be a fun activity. My family makes it an after supper outing, before we wash dishes or watch any TV.

Try promoting it further by placing a star on the calendar for each completed walk. If there are four stars on each week for a month, a reward is in order for a job well done.

A reward can be any outdoor activity children enjoy -- from a day at the park complete with a packed lunch, to a hiking trail they've never walked before.

You can even create a scrapbook of your adventures as part of your reward. This will give your children something to share with their friends, and memories when they get older.

No matter what the reward, the end result will be the same. Your children will be happier, and healthier. They will learn exercise is fun.