You’re Not Powerless to Prevent Childhood Obesity
Childhood obesity has become a major problem in the U.S. today. The land of the free moves at such a fast-pace that it has become quicker and easier to give our children unhealthy kids meals from fast food restaurants than to plan healthy meals. We have such little free time that we allow our children to veg out in front of the TV or computer playing video games so we can have a smidgen of peace and quiet at home. We send our kids to school, where unhealthy food is often being served in the lunchroom. However, as parents, if we want to stave off the health and social problems associated with a child that is obese, we have to begin to fight the rising tide of childhood obesity.
First, realize that making sure your child is living a healthy and active lifestyle is a counter-cultural idea these days. After all, the most popular gifts for teens and tweens are no longer bicycles like when we were kids. Instead, the most popular gifts are gaming systems, such as the Wii, Xbox 360, or Playstation 3, all of which are very sedentary forms of entertainment. While playing age-appropriate games is harmless fun, it can contribute to dangerous inactivity and childhood obesity if not balanced out with more active fun.
If your child has become inactive, it is a good idea to meet them where they’re at. Wii has introduced a great product called Wii Fit, a fun exercise program that is helping some children get active by allowing families to exercise in their homes together. You can customize the programs to be suitable for your child’s fitness level, and monitor their progress.
Another good idea is to prioritize outdoor exercise. Take your children on a brisk walk three to five times a week. Not only is this a great opportunity to hear about their day and spend time with them, but it also gets their blood moving and contributes to their weekly physical activity needs. Find out what kinds of sports your child is interested in and make a point to play with them over the weekend, whether it’s soccer, basketball, tennis, or something with less rules, like Frisbee. If you’re not up to the task, encourage your children to play sports with their friends instead of spending all their time indoors on their cell phones, computers and gaming systems.
Finally, talk with your child about healthy eating and keep healthy snacks around the house, like yogurt, string cheese or fresh fruit. Explain to them the consequences of drinking sodas and eating fast food. And most importantly, be the one to demonstrate a healthy lifestyle. After all, it’s hard to tell your kids the right thing to do if they see you sitting on the couch eating junk food too!
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This entry was posted on Monday, July 12th, 2010 at 11:18 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
