Dr. Rob's Guide to Raising Fit Kids: A Family-Centered Approach to Achieving Optimal Health

Robert S. Gotlin
DiaMedica (2008)
ISBN 9780979356438
Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (6/08)

“Dr. Rob's Guide to Raising Fit Kids: A Family-Centered Approach to Achieving Optimal Health” focuses on the premise that fitness starts with the family and offers some practical guidelines to combat the obesity epidemic of today.  “Statistics show that during the past 5 years, the number of people who are severely obese in the general population has quadrupled, and mild obesity has doubled.”  Usually poor habits are developed during childhood and can lead to a lifetime of weight issues.  If we focus on teaching our children how to eat healthy and get them outside to exercise and play we can make major strides in reversing the obesity trend.

The author, Dr. Robert S. Gotlin, hosts a health and fitness show on ESPN radio, is the Director of Orthopedic and Sports Rehabilitation at Beth Israel Medical Center, coaches youth sports teams, is the Team Physician for the Harlem Wizards, and is on the medical team of the U.S. National Women’s Rugby Team.  Therefore, he definitely is qualified to write a book dealing with how to promote good health and physical fitness in the lives of children today. 

The book starts off by offering suggestions on how you and your family can exercise together, and also provides examples of appropriate exercises and sports for different age groups.  There is also a sort of buying guide that lists specific equipment that is needed for different sports and what to look for when buying that equipment.  Tips are provided on how to keep children safe and examples of some common sports injuries are illustrated. 

The last half of the book focuses on healthy eating and provides the reader with meal plans, recipes and tips on how to eat healthy.  I especially liked the detailed menus as they contain practical foods, unlike some of the other menu plans that I have seen in books and magazines that consist of foods that my children would not eat or that I have never heard of.   I also found Appendix B, “Weight/volume equivalents for the major food groups” to be helpful.  The table lists how much of certain foods count as a serving for each food group and I can definitely see myself referring back to that information.

“Dr. Rob's Guide to Raising Fit Kids: A Family-Centered Approach to Achieving Optimal Health” is a useful reference guide full of solid, practical advice.  Getting children started young with healthy nutrition and exercise should help to put them on the right path to become healthy adults.  The book is filled with a lot of different ideas to achieve these goals and to make fitness a whole family affair.  Some of the tips presented in the book I found to be common sense, but overall I think the book would be a wonderful addition to any family’s reference library.