You've seen the headlines that childhood obesity is an epidemic. How sad, and unfair, and frustrating it is for a kid to have to learn about the struggles of weight loss at an age when they should have no worries beyond choosing where they should have their next birthday party. But this is the reality for kids today, that their health is at great risk because of the lifestyle they are living. There are so many factors that come into play when looking at the cause of this epidemic. Kids do watch more tv and play more video games than ever before. The technology boom has delivered fun new games that appeal to kids. Parents are having to work more out of the home leaving children to care for themselves. Kids are staying inside more because, well, some parents are just more fearful of the bad things that can happen to their kids while they're outside. Society is slowly moving away from the days of kids running from yard to yard playing kick the can. And let's not forget about food, isn't it easier to grab a bag of chips than to cut up cucumbers and pour some ranch for dipping? We have so many pre-packaged options that are filled with unhealthy stuff. Perhaps some parents feel guilty about not being able to be at home more, and buy junk food to make their kids feel good. Who knows who is to blame. What's true is that our kids are the ones suffering, and they don't know any better. They are doing what they have always done, no one ever told them differently, and now they suddenly have to change the habits they have always had because people are telling them they're not healthy. How tough is that. The times in my life when I haven't been healthy, I've known it because I remembered what it was like when I was healthy. These kids don't have those memories. Our job now, is not to nag and control. That sounds like a tough, losing battle for everyone. As parents, friends, teachers and community members our job is to support, love, lead by example, suggest and limit our children and lead them back to being the active, healthy kids they were born to be!
Kids should have 2-3 hours of vigorous activity a day! Running at recess, walking to and from the bus, playing goal line stand in the basement all count. Add to it by shooting some baskets, playing four square, going for a small bike ride. The key is to get kids up and out and doing something. By developing habits of playing video games and eating junk food, frankly they don't have a lot of energy to go outside and it probably sounds like more work than they want to put in. Your job, parent, friend, teacher, is to say times up on the video games we're going outside. Eventually it will get easier and it will appeal to our friend in need of physical activity. Remember, when they see you do it, it sticks more than when they see you sitting and watching.
Offer healthy options for snacks. Popcorn with no or little butter is a great after school snack. Have carrots and celery already cut up and ready to grab, with low-fat ranch easily accessible. Limit portion size. This is a huge one, tell your child that if they eat slower, they will fill up faster. If they're still hungry when dinner is over, offer an apple. Have them drink tons of water. The same is true for kids as adults, that you need to drink half your weight in ounces of water. If you weigh 140, drink 70 oz. of water a day.
All of these tips might be pretty obvious to you and I. We've heard many times throughout our lives how to get healthy, what good choices we should make. Our kids are hearing it for the first time, be kind and supportive, don't expect it to be easy. If it were easy, we'd all be skinny marathon runners. Love your children completely, don't tell them they're bad or less of (anything) because of their weight. Be the teacher, they will be forever grateful, and they deserve to be healthy, just like you and I.
