Fighting Childhood Obesity
Childhood obesity has risen 300 percent in the last 30 years! Market research conducted by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta in Georgia shows that over 90 percent of parents believe that childhood obesity is a problem and 50 percent believe it’s a very serious problem. Yet when the study asked parents of overweight or obese kids if they thought their child was overweight or obese, 75 percent of them didn’t think their child had a problem.
When we discuss healthy changes everyone immediately thinks that it is going to be difficult, it won’t taste good and most importantly it won’t be fun. We have been bombarded with advertising that focuses on unhealthy food and sedentary activities as the way to achieve happiness.
We need to take back happy! We need to do what we know makes our kids happy – playing, having fun and eating healthy foods. We can do this – we have a lot riding on it.
How do we fix the problem?
We all own a piece of the solution when it comes to childhood obesity. Every one of us can do our part to make this world a healthier place for our children. We need to be a part of long term, sustainable solutions and realize that we got here over three decades and it will take us a while to get out of this spot. The structure of our society needs to shift and focus on health in a positive and meaningful way but we need to work together as a team.
There are many ways we can work on this issue as parents. Great places to start are at home, work, school or in your community. Joining organizations that support the issue and promote living a happy and healthy lifestyle is key. We have to do this for the kids and for ourselves.
The best place to start is with your own family. Almost every family can do something to be healthier. Start with something small and easy – make sure it’s something your family wants to do and get everyone on board. Most importantly, set realistic goals and take it slowly – remember – this needs to be fun!
Avoid being unhealthy! Try these easy modifications to your meals and mealtime.
• Eat together as a family. Even if it’s just two people, research shows that when people eat together, they eat more slowly and eat less overall.
• Turn off all screens during mealtime. When you eat in front of a screen you don’t appreciate how much you have eaten and tend to overeat.
• Drink less sugar drinks, sports drinks and energy drinks. Don’t drink calories – you would be surprised how much sugar is in just one soda.
• Find an activity that you love! Try different exercise options and pick one that is fun and easy to do. Remember how much fun you had a kid jumping rope!
We all feel better and happier when we are healthy! Keep a focus on the positive and your family will love being healthy!