Rich Dawson is off on another bike ride. Today, he’ll log 32 miles on The Olentangy Trail, despite the fact that the weather is cold and rainy. Fitness is a big part of this 42-year-old’s life. But it wasn’t always that way.

“A few years ago I discovered mountain biking with a bunch of buddies. I enjoyed the challenge; I enjoyed the feeling of accomplishment. I was bitten by the bug,” Dawson says.

And he’s never looked back. Now he plans vacations around bike rides or marathons. His wife Janet’s an avid runner, too. The Dawsons’ enthusiasm for an active lifestyle is contagious. And that’s the idea. Their three girls, Kyle, 13, and 10-year-old twins Morgan and Delaney, never sit still.

“I would much rather be out and active than sitting at home in front of the TV,” Kyle says at volleyball practice.

“We are so happy about that. Our family has grown closer because of the activities we do together,” Janet says. “The girls love sports, love being outside, love being active.”

The idea of a family being active together warms Dr. Robert Murray’s heart. Murray is director of the Center for Healthy Weight & Nutrition at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. He’s looking for ways to battle childhood obesity and believes the solution starts with the family.

“People think of the family as delivering genes to children which plays an important role in their health and development. But family brings the rest of the package with it,” Murray says. “Parents influence everything from eating and TV habits to snacking and attitude about activity. The two go hand in hand.”

But today, Murray says most adults aren’t good role models. Obesity rates are skyrocketing. Many adults spend far more time in front of a computer or television than pounding the pavement or throwing a softball.

“Unfortunately they don’t model good behavior, and kids are very sensitive to parental modeling,” Murray says.

Fortunately the signals Rich and Janet Dawson are sending their children are being heard loud and clear. The girls currently participate in volleyball, basketball, soccer and softball.

“Hopefully our example has started them early on the right path, and they’ll get into the habit of doing these things for the rest of their lives” Janet says.

Murray applauds the Dawsons’ enthusiasm, and says organized sports aren’t the only option. He says anything that takes kids away from the television or computer screen is good. Especially when you consider by age 3, 40 percent of children watch three hours of TV a day.

“Kids need to just play, be active,” he says. “Encourage them to dance, participate in theatre or music – whatever is fun.”

Fun is the key for any family adopting an active lifestyle. It should be top priority. It’s estimated one out of every three children born in the year 2000 will develop type 2 diabetes as the result of being overweight. A child who develops type 2 diabetes at age 10 will lose 17 to 23 years of life. If that’s not motivation to get everyone moving, Rich can’t imagine what is.

“Nothing is more important than our kids. We want them to live long healthy lives, and we want to play an active role in that,” he says. "Going for a run, hiking, riding a bike is not only a great way to bond, but it’s an investment in their healthy future.”

Watch Andrea Cambern on 10TV News HD weekdays at 5, 6 and 11 p.m. and at 10 p.m. on WWHO-TV.