Family Matters
How to encourage family fitness
Over the past 30 years the amount of overweight children aged 6 to 11 in the United States has more than doubled, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle, overweight children are more likely to become obese adults. Being obese increases the risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, some cancers and so many other diseases. Parents can lower these risks by taking an active role in their children’s health and making a few simple changes.
Food choice plays one of the biggest roles in a child’s health. It’s hard to drive down the street and ignore the countless number of fast food restaurants. For parents that are always on the go, it’s easier to grab a burger instead of fruit, tacos instead of a salad or french fries instead of vegetables. Many of today’s fast food restaurants don’t always offer healthy alternatives that kids are interested in. But it’s not up to restaurants to feed our children, it’s up to us. Eliminating junk food is a quick way to get your children’s health back on track. Kids are always hungry and will pretty much eat whatever is around. Substitute popcorn for chips, peanut butter for hot dogs and fig newtons for cupcakes. By making simple changes when they are younger, kids will pick up at an early age the benefits of eating healthy. By the time they are teenagers they will eat healthier foods on their own and will be on track to maintaining a long, healthy life.
Not only does junk food endanger children’s health, but technology makes it difficult to get kids outside and active. Cable TV ensures that kids will always find “something” to watch. The Internet provides hours upon hours of entertainment in chat rooms, and on social Web sites and fan sites about their favorite teen idols. Then there are video games, those magical boxes that instantly turn kids into zombies, allowing them to plop in front of the TV for hours. Everything is ok in moderation, so they should be limited to how much time they spend doing these activities. Having “blackout” times for their electronic devices makes them get out, stretch, move around and get some much-needed exercise. Limiting these items will help kids appreciate the time when they get to use them, but they’ll also gain more appreciation for the new activities they find that don’t require a remote control or keyboard.
The best thing you can do to help your children live a healthier life is to encourage exercise. Exercise should never be seen as a punishment or a chore. Parents who push their kids into boring routines or punish them with running laps turn kids off to exercise and working out. Encouraging organized sports activities is a great way to make exercising fun. It will get them involved with children their own age, so it’s also a great way to build their social skills and build self-confidence. Turning exercise into a family activity is a terrific way to encourage children to be more active, too. Going swimming or hiking on the weekend or while on vacation can be a fun way to show your kids that fitness is important to you as well. Not only will it get your children out and active, but it’s a great way to spend quality time with everyone and bring you closer together as a family.
Now more than ever childhood obesity is a cause for concern. It causes numerous health problems as well as self-esteem issues. By providing healthy food alternatives, limiting non-active hobbies and becoming more active as a family, you can regain control over your children’s health. You also show them how much you love them by providing the building blocks they need to live a long and healthy life.
How do you encourage your family to make healthy choices?