Healthy Parents - Healthy Kids

 Last week I was doing some spring, well fall cleaning. I was digging through some of my old magazine articles and found one from Newsweek 2000 titled Fat For Life? At that time 6 million kids were seriously overweight which doubled the number of overweight children in the 1960's. The rate of Type 2 diabetes had also increased from almost none under the age of 40 being diagnosed to 30% of at least one physician's pediatric patients according to Dr. Robin Goland of New York's Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital.  

In another article found in Breakthroughs In Health, Volume 2 Issue 1, February 2007 titled New Study to Tackle Youth Obesity and Diabetes. Data was analyzed by researchers from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in New York. This data was from surveys that evaluated the health and fitness of more than 22,000 children and teens. They found that the percentage of girls and boys with abdominal obesity had increased another 10.5% from 1999. They found the largest increase in boys from 2 to 5 years old and girls from 18 to 19 years old.

Obesity in children and teens significantly increases their risks of many diseases including diabetes, heart disease and cancer, problems such as asthma, and unfortunately early death. It is a problem that is obviously not improving but getting worse. Here are some tips to reduce your child's risk of obesity and the problems that come with it.

1. Monitor your children's weight. The younger you are, the easier the weight comes off. If you keep help them keep it off now, you will be setting your child up for a leaner, healthier life.
2. Make healthy living a lifestyle for the entire family. Set an example. Exercise together and learn to eat healthy together. Make it a priority and just a way of life.
3. Make rewards non-food related. Use stickers, extra play time or a trip to the zoo instead of food, candy or t.v. time.
4. Teach your children how to make healthier food choices by making healthier food choices. Skip the foods ladened sugar, fat and high-fructose corn syrup and replace them with foods that take longer to digest and sustain energy.
5. Be choosy with fast food. If you must go through a fast-food joint, get out and go in instead of going through the drive thru, don't supersize, and try to choose the healthiest options available. However if they really want fries, let them have them but just a few.
6. Dessert doesn't have to follow every meal. Every once in awhile it is fine, or even every night after dinner. But again, just a little bit. Moderation is key.
7. Restrict T.V., computer and video game time and encourage outdoor activities. This goes for you as a parent too. It doesn't have to be an organized sport, it can be riding their bikes, looking for bugs or playing at the park. If it is cold outside, bundle up and go chase your breath!

Work together to be a happy, healthy, active family. If not for yourself, do it for your kids.

Health and Human Services Gives Exercise Guidelines For Kids

This morning my boys and I were out on our daily walk.  I pull the wagon in case their two year old little legs need a rest.  We get to certain points in our walk and we race to the tree, or to the lake, or to whatever seems fun to race to.  My boys laugh and think it's so much fun to race mommy.  As we are running I say things like "OH! we're getting in our exercise.  Isn't this fun?"

I can't stress hard enough how important exercise is for kids these days.  The government is starting to see the rise in sickness and diseases in children and are also stressing exercise.  The Health and Human Services has reported exercise guidelines for children and adolescents as one hour or more of moderate or vigorous aerobic physical activity a day, including vigorous intensity physical activity at least three days a week.

Examples of moderate intensity aerobic activities include hiking, skateboarding, easy bicycle riding, and walking. Vigorous intensity aerobic activities include a more intense bicycle ride, jumping rope, running and sports such as soccer, basketball, and ice or field hockey. Children and adolescents should incorporate bone and muscle-strengthening activities, such as rope climbing, push-ups, sit-ups, and tug-of war, three days a week.  This can also include climbing a tree or the monkey bars at the park.

The message is out that our children need to exercise.  Studies have proven how exercise reduces sickness and improves overall health.  Not only that but most children these days are overweight and are suffering depression and many other mental and physical problems.  Exercise is the key and the government is starting to see how important it is to get the word out. 

Do your kids a huge favor and encourage exercise.  You can make it fun and get them to the point where they ask to go exercise.  It's a great way to get family time in and do something healthy for you and your kids.

Active Commuting To School Can Boost Kids Activity Levels

It’s school time again, so why not enhance the daily physical activity levels of our kids and walk, bike, or skate to school.  As we all know the rise of obesity in our youth has grown to enormous numbers and as a result health issues such as diabetes has risen along with it.  Our children are not expending enough energy to balance what they take in.  We need our youth to be more active.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends 60 minutes or more of daily physical activity for our youth, which should be enjoyable, developmentally appropriate, and should vary.  Since television and computer games are sedentary activities and often the chose of play by most children before and after school, active commuting to school is a great way to sneak in physical activity and it’s not competitive.

Dust off the bikes, buy a great pair of walking shoes, etc. and start your kids day off with some great physical activity and actively commute to school.  Be a role model and make it fun!