March 12, 2008 – 8:43 am
With the growing popularity of a sedentary lifestyle and the introduction of video games and the internet, more and more people in our society are becoming obese. What I personally have observed, is that even in the school districts there is less and less emphasis on physical activity. For instance, I was in a Kindergarten classroom recently and these children were expected to spend most of their day sitting. They only were designated a recess time (on the playground) of 15 minutes in their day. Most children are only receiving PE once every 10 school days now. It is no wonder that our kids are becoming more and more obese.
In schools as well as at home, kids are being encouraged to be still and be quiet. Even in a classroom, they need to stay seated and any activity, even just wiggling is discouraged. I understand that our kids need to learn, however, aren’t there more active methods of learning that we could explore. Many studies show that physical activity does affect mental ability. So shouldn’t we encourage the children of this country to learn while moving. It would be so much more beneficial to encourage learning activities and games that require them using their bodies as well as their minds.
At home, children should be encouraged to go outside and play and shut off the TV and the video games. They should also be encouraged to read. Many children have plenty of access to TV and video games, however, very little exposure to reading and books. Is it no wonder our children are becoming overweight and not succeeding?
Not eating right is also a concern as many children are not getting the healthy nutrition sources they need to thrive. As noted in this study from How to Teach Nutrition to Kids by Connie Liakos Evers, MS, RD:
In 2002, data showed that 15% of children and teens are considered overweight, a tripling since 1980. An additional 15% of kids and teens are considered “at risk” for becoming overweight.
“This epidemic increase in childhood overweight is particularly prevalent among African American and Hispanic children, with more than 21% of these groups meeting the classification of overweight. It is estimated that about half of overweight school-agers and 70% of overweight teens will remain obese into adulthood.”
“While the CDC and other organizations recommend that children participate in physical activity a minimum of an hour daily, kids are actually engaging in less physical activity, particularly as they approach adolescence.”
“More than 75% of children ages 6-11 do not eat the minimum of 3 servings of vegetables or 2 servings of fruit daily.”
Playing is actually the best exercise for our kids. It not only helps them lose weight but also creates healthy habits for the future. Encouraging healthy eating along with exercise will create a new fitness trend.
Unfortunately, if your child is already obese, you must take steps to address it now. Many of the diet programs can and will adapt themselves for use with children. Many like Jenny Craig and weight watchers will help you gear them towards children. Other options for you may be a low fat or low carb diet that you could put them on and still allow them to eat some of their favorite foods. South beach diet and atkins diet are a bit extreme for a younger person, but could probably be altered to cover their nutritional needs.
I really suggest that if your child is overweight, that you are not alone. As seen in these figures from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
More than a third of young people in grades 9-12 do not regularly engage in vigorous-intensity physical activity. Daily participation in high school physical education classes dropped from 42% in 1991 to 32% in 2001 (CDC, 2002).
15.3%of children ages 6 to 11 were overweight in 1999 and 2000, more than triple the average of 4.2 percent from 1963 to 1970.
More than 50% of American adults do not get enough physical activity to provide health benefits. 25% of adults are not active at all in their leisure time.
Activity decreases with age and is less common among women than men and among those with lower income and less education.
This is not just a problem for kids, but for adults as well. So if you can the best thing you can do is make fitness a family project. Incorporate at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day into your routine. I know that sounds like a lot of time, but how much time are you and your family spending together in front of the TV or video game console? Is 30 minutes time that you don’t have, or time that you are spending on these activities? Also, change to a healthy diet which includes vitamins, nutritional supplements, and fruits and vegetables. Everyone, no matter how much they weigh could benefit from improving their diet and I think that you will find that weightloss may be a natural result of taking these actions.
No, you don’t have to go completely low carbohydrate or join a gym or take up Pilates, you just need to make a few subtle lifestyle changes that will improve your life. It is definitely worth your while to try it. I guarantee that you will not only look better, but will have more energy. Remember an object in motion stays in motion, but an object at rest stays at rest. Become an object in motion and you will see that once you gain so momentum, you will be unstoppable.
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