It's get moving day

"See you later, couch potato," my friend James said.

"Whaddya mean?" I asked him. "I'm not a couch. Or a potato."

"You wanna know what a couch potato is?" he said. "Look in the dictionary. You'll see your name!"

James walked off laughing. He was going to soccer practice. I was going home to play a video game.

My name is Sam, and it's true, I hang out at home a lot. I'm really not into sports. I'm always on my computer. I watch a lot of TV. And I like to read books.

I am really good on both video and computer games. I don't want to brag, but I am the Supreme Commander of the Universe in Star Ship Quarg -- the most awesome game in the world!

Give me a keyboard or a joystick and I'm a champ.

But when it comes to sports -- I'm a chump.

You could say that I'm kinda out of shape. Besides, I feel bad when kids make fun of me. So I guess I just stopped trying.

--

Being called a couch potato reminded me of the bag of potato chips in the kitchen. I grabbed them and a soda and headed off to my computer to save the world from enemy forces.

The sun was streaming through the window. I reached to close the shade and saw that it was a beautiful day. Maybe my mom was right. Maybe I should play outside more.

My PE teacher, Mr. Randall, said that I need to try to be more active. I wasn't really big on exercise. But maybe I could try. I guess sitting around playing video games and watching TV isn't really healthy.

"I'm not really a sports person," I told Mr. Randall.

"That's OK. You don't have to be a champion athlete. But you can be an active, fit person," he said.

"How do I do that?" I asked him.

He said to start slowly and get physically active. But what would I do?

I did some research on the Internet. Here's what I found.

I could . . .

Walk in the park.

Swim laps.

Jump rope.

Ride a bike.

Throw a Frisbee.

Rollerblade.

Dance hip-hop

Climb stairs.

I learned that being active makes you feel better about yourself. You don't have to be good to play sports -- you just have to get out there and have fun.

So I tried.

I started by walking my dog, Charlie, in the park, and guess what? We both had fun.

I got James to go roller-skating with me, and it was awesome.

I rode my bike, and it was so totally cool.

At first it was hard. But I really like being more active. I feel good and I'm happier.

The guys and I are doing lots of fun stuff like hiking. And my dog loves playing Frisbee.

And guess what? I'm snacking out on healthier foods, like fruits and veggies, and staying way away from junk food. Mr. Randall even thinks that I should try out for soccer next year. Maybe I will.

I know I'll never be a sports star. But who says I have to be? Now I'm having real adventures instead of make-believe missions on Quarg.

My days as a couch potato are over!

See you later -- couch potato!

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calendar@latimes.com