More
than half of American adults are clinically obese. Worse yet, an increasing
number of children are obese. This isn’t simply a matter of being “chubby” or
having “a little baby fat” either – I’m talking about kids who are getting
diseases because of excess body fat that was previously only seen in adults.
In the movie Philomena,
an English woman comes to the United States in her search for her now-grown
child whom she was forced to give up as a pregnant young girl many years
earlier.
Philomena worries about many things. Will her son think she
rejected him? Will he wonder why she took so long to find him? Will he even
want to meet her?
She wonders what her son will be like and who he has grown
up to become. Suddenly, in a moment of panic she asks, “What if he is obese?”
This is a small scene, and it causes laughter in the
audience, but she points out that American portions are so large that obesity
is a very plausible result.
The sad truth is that obesity is a major health challenge
for many countries in the world. While the percentage of obese children is
lower than that of adults, the rate of increase for obesity is actually greater
in kids than adults in the US.
There is a social stigma in being overweight and even more
so for those who are truly obese. Fat kids get teased more and have more issues
with depression and isolation. In addition to the emotional and social issues
obese kids face, they face severe physical health challenges now and in their
future.
Children who are obese are much more likely to become obese
adults. Unfortunately, the social, emotional, and physical challenges faced by
kids don’t go away just because they grow up.
The best time to prevent childhood obesity is early in your
kids’ lives. It’s important for you as a
parent to be actively involved in your children’s health. This doesn’t mean
that you lecture your kids about eating healthy foods or exercising -- kids
don’t listen to words as much as they follow your example.
That means you have to walk the walk before you talk about
it. You have to make healthy food choices for yourself as much as your kids and
you have to exercise. In order to get your kids interested in the latter, you
may even have to come up with fun and creative ways to get them to join you.
And not every person is a natural athlete. That’s okay -- the
good news is that you don’t have to be and neither do your kids.
All young animals play and your children are the same in
that respect. You can encourage that physical activity over sitting in front of
the television or computer. Rather than shooing your kids out the door to get
some fresh air and play, you may need to take a more proactive role if your
kids have developed a habit of not moving.
Check out opportunities in your area where your entire
family can get moving. Consider enrolling in a class or joining the local pool.
Go for walks in the neighborhood or hikes in local parks. Try rock climbing or
gymnastics. Try a variety of activities so that every family member can
discover some things they enjoy and are good at. More importantly, let every
family member choose an activity so they know they have a say in the matter.
Talk about healthy food too. Let your kids help with making
the meals. If you have a yard, planting even a small vegetable garden may be
the trick to help kids eat more veggies.
And don’t skip out on the vegetables either -- eat healthy
meals with your kids. This doesn’t mean that you have to have a “perfect” diet.
It’s okay to let yourself, and your kids, have some treats now and then. Use
the 80-20 rule for food: if your family eats healthy foods in healthy
proportions 80% of the time, then you can have pizza and ice cream (or whatever
your favorite less-than-healthy food choice is) 20% of the time.
With a background in moving their bodies and healthy eating,
your kids are more likely to retain at least some of their healthy habits as
they get older.
That in mind, they’ll no doubt rebel at some point and may
turn to more junk food than you’d like, or they may take up a sedentary hobby
that makes it more challenging to get in exercise. When this happens, continue
to be the healthy example without preaching to them.
Show them that you make time to get in YOUR exercise and
talk about how good you feel as a
result. Help them to tap into how their
body feels when they’re being active versus when they’re not.
The best gift you can give your kids is their health. It
isn’t entirely up to you, but if you follow the suggestions I’ve outlined, your
kids have a better shot at being healthy children and adults. Not only that, but
by being active together as a family, you’ll have a bond that is more than skin
deep.
