Today, we have the highest rates of adolescent and childhood obesity than at any previous time in history. The fast food, low-energy society that we have become bears a large share of the responsibility.

We have a tendency to believe that keeping our children inside our houses is safer than allowing them to explore the big outdoors. The things we're trying to protect our children are actually harming their health.

However, there are steps being taken to address the issue and make our children more involved, active, and informed about making healthy eating, nutrition, exercise, and overall health choices.

For most teenagers, the challenge is convincing them to step away from the computer, phone, or television long enough to engage in physical activity.

Even video games are getting in on the act of getting kids up and moving by designing titles like Dance Party Revolution for the PlayStation 2 and the new Nintendo Wii gaming system, which appear to be sweeping the market. Instead of sitting back and playing the game in a static setting, these systems let consumers to actively participate in the game play adventure. It's an excellent method to get teenagers up and moving. Adults will like these activities as well, and they will have the same activity-inducing effects. Who'd have guessed we'd be promoting game play as a form of exercise?

 Get Active and Go Outside.

Teens learn by example, and whether they realize it or not, they usually love participating in family activities. Climb a rock face or climb a mountain. As a family, go for a bike ride. Once again, camp in the great outdoors and go hiking, boating, or riding. Together, learn a new sport. It's astonishing how much fun learning to scuba dive can be, and neither of you will be ingesting empty calories in the process. Even if the sport you choose together doesn't require much physical activity, it will almost certainly be more active than sitting in front of the TV.

Join a leisure sports team with your teen. In our neighborhood, we offer a variety of sports teams that our teenagers can join. Some leagues are open to everyone with no prior experience, while others are competitive. Going to a softball game, soccer game, or even volleyball game may be a fun opportunity for the whole family to do something together, and the games and practices provide opportunities for your teen to get some exercise.

Another approach to get out and active with your teen is to do some lawn work. As always, the idea is for your kid to burn more calories than he or she consumes. It's frequently easier said than done, but if you work hard enough, you can get them out and about.

Find things that will fascinate your teen and focus on those instead of torturing them with activities which will bore them to death (well maybe not the yard work). Filling their time with activities, on the other hand, allows time when they aren't ingesting calories, which is something to consider.

Encourage your teen to consume more nutritious foods. Remove calorie-dense sodas, fruit juices, and energy drinks from your cupboard, and encourage your teenagers to drink lots of water throughout the day.

Introduce as many veggies as possible to your teen's diet and eliminate the packed convenience foods that they are prone to devouring in one sitting. Having your teenagers actively engage in meal preparation and cleanup will also encourage them to pay greater attention to what they put in their mouths as well as the messes they make.