Too many overweight, unhealthy kids!

Childhood obesity is a growing and very serious health issue in this country. What we used to call adult onset diabetes is now called Type 2 because they are finding it in so many children. Our kids are developing coronary artery disease at an early age as well as many other health problems.

As parents we always want our children to have more and do better than ourselves. This is an area where we are definitely not making the grade on that score.

Why are kids increasingly obese? I have several ideas, based on reading and observation:
Ø Fewer family meals, where mom cooks a balanced meal and everyone gathers at the table to eat and share what happened in their day.
Ø More fast food to go with our busy lifestyles
Ø Parents teaching bad eating and exercise habits to kids—very often overweight adults have overweight kids
Ø Using food as an incentive or reward or comfort
Ø Too much time spent in front of the TV, the computer, the video game, etc.
Ø Not enough time spent outside in physical play

What can parents do?
Ø Limit time in front of a screen of any kind
Ø Make your child go outside and play everyday for a little while—even 30 minutes will help
Ø Encourage the schools to bring back PE where it has been eliminated
Ø Encourage your child to find an activity that they enjoy—baseball, softball, karate, running, basketball, football, soccer, fencing, hiking—Scouting, swimming—there are so many to choose from. Surely your child will like something. If they like band, get them in a marching band. Or just get out with them and talk a walk together.
Ø Bring back family meal times—as many times a week as you can manage it
Ø Lead by example—lose weight yourself. Put the whole family on a diet if necessary
Ø Lead by example--get out and walk or bike with your kids, with friends, or by yourself. Show them that exercise can be fun. One of my kids enjoyed running with me. That was our time to talk and bond. It was great fun for both of us.
Ø Lead by example—eat right. Make healthy food choices for yourself and your kids. Keep fruit in a cooler in the car for games and outings instead of snacks full of empty calories. Drink water and fruit drinks and milk instead of sodas.
Ø Never use food as an incentive or reward or comfort. You are just building up intrinsic habits that follow into adulthood.

Your children are your legacy. Help keep them healthy—protect them in this way as strongly as you do from predators or anything else that can harm them.