Some kids end up in summer school, whether for poor performance during the regular year, or simply because you want your child to have a leg up come next fall.  Actually, I think all children should be required to attend school during the summer months simply so they can retain everything that was put into their little heads the whole school year prior.  Studies have shown that a three month break from anything will set you back nearly an entire year behind those who have stayed current with their studies and practices.  Chew on that for a little bit.

However, I digress.  What I want to ask you about today is, will you be proactive in making sure your child stays active this summer?  The biggest problem we have in America is the inability to keep our bodies and mind occupied at all times so that they don’t atrophy, or worse, grow too large to handle (bodies of course).  You see, the biggest problem with having as much free time as our children have during the summer months is that they are not used to having so much of it!

I know that sounds like common sense, and it is for the most part, but think about it.  If you were given eight hours a day to get your work done, which a lot of people are, then don’t you tend to take the entire eight hours to complete your tasks?  Very rarely will you  be done by noon, leave, and still get paid for the entire eight hours, right?  Well, that there is the reason why we expand our efforts to match our time commitments, so-to-speak.

The same is true in reverse.  If you are given only four hours to complete your tasks, do you think you could do it?  Not at first, perhaps, because you are not used to the schedule and how ‘hectic’ things can be.  However, after a little bit of time, you would be  just as, if not more, proficient than you were in the eight hour example.  Again, we match our duties to our allotted times available.

This is why summer vacations can be so extravagant, or so detrimental to our youth.  For one, they are used to staying in school, generally seated and learning, for about 7-8 hours per day.  Now, you take the learning away from them, and what is left?  Sitting and _____________ for 7-8 hours per day.  Well, what that blank is filled with is entirely up to you!

If you, as the parent or guardian, fail to allot tasks, assignments, duties, responsibilities, and activities to fill up that time block, guess what will?  Generally it will be video games, computer games, internet surfing, the boob tube, and a general lack of active movements.  Even kids who play sports aren’t engaged all day every day as they are in school.  This also means they will be at your house, prone to the ‘fridge stare’ as I call it: standing in front of the refrigerator, door open, staring into the white space wondering what to consume next.  We all do it, but the kids aren’t aware that what they are doing is so bad for them.

So, I would like to wrap this up by sending you the message that now is the time to get some last minute plans together for your child’s summer activities.  I say last minute because a lot of the activities you could have planned weeks and months ago.  Remember that failing to plan is the same as planning to fail.  Don’t fail your children and hinder their health and learning ability by not planning something for them. You know they won’t do it for themselves!

Certain activities can include:
Boy Scouts/Girl Scouts, Campfire, Brownies, etc.
Wilderness trips
Learning a new outdoor sport (kayak, rafting, rock climbing, hiking, etc.)
Summer Camps
Sports Camps
Camping (yes, you go outdoors, enjoy nature, and teach your kid how to start a fire, fish, gather wood, etc.)
Trips to the beach for those fortunate enough to live within driving distance
Trips to the lake/river for everyone else
Sports leagues (baseball, tee-ball, soccer, football, swim team, track, etc.)
Go to the local pool and park and organize some fun games
Just get outside and do something active!

When this person ordered her food, I thought she must have a small army with her.  Three hot dogs (which comes with three drinks), three slices of pizza, a chicken bake, a yogurt, and a mocha freeze.  Now, I did mention that it was just her and the two kids, right?  Well, her children were no more than 9-10 years old.  So, who did all the food go to?  Well all of them of course! 

As you might have guessed, this lady was overweight, and her children were moving in that direction as well.  Are the children to blame that mommy is overweight and has some cravings and doesn’t feel like cooking tonight?  No, of course not!  Hence the reason for the title. 

Let me break down for you why this is so appalling to me:

1. Chicken bake- over 1000 calories
2. Slice of pizza- 805 calories!
3. Yogurt- 285 calories (not bad, right?)
4. Hot Dog- 550 calories.
5. Mocha Freeze- 320 calories

Let’s assume that the kids only ate their hot dog and pizza and drank water (yeah right) with their meal.  So, that’s only 1,355 calories in one sitting.  Amazing! The kids had more than their necessary caloric intake for one day in a single 30 minute session. Further, where were the good healthy items in their meal?  Well, if they had a combo pizza slice, then I guess you could kind of count the fat and grease covered onions and peppers.  Or not! 

It is this exact mentality and dining habit that causes so many of our youth to be overweight.  We think that having a quick snack at a local convenience store or fast food joint will be okay if it’s just this one time.  What about the next time?  Do you convince yourself that everyone will just get something small so you can have a real meal later on when you’re at home?  How often does that pan out?

Let me tell you one of my favorite ways to combat junk food binges and fast food stop-overs.  It’s not an easy habit to learn necessarily, but it will save yours, and your kids, lives.

1. Start your shopping in the fresh foods section
   This means that you start where the veggies and fruits are.  Buy local produce if you need.  Corn and broccoli are extremely easy to prepare.
   You can even get fresh chicken (though frozen or packaged isn’t the end of the world) and other lean meats here as well.
2. Fill your cart with as many perishable foods as you can.  They’re not the cheapest, for sure, but they are the best bet you have against weight gain.
3. Avoid what I call the “empty calorie” aisles.
   No cereals, candies, desserts, or any frozen goodies.  You know as well as I do that if chicken nuggets and pizza-rolls are in your freezer instead of green beans and broccoli that the quick and easy will win out every time.
4. Always cook more than you intend to eat.
   Save the leftovers in plastic containers that the kiddies can take to school for lunches.  This eliminates the need to stop at fast food chains and also provides for a much healthier alternative every time.

So, in closing I only want you to think of two things:

1. Do you really need that extra 30 minutes that you could otherwise use preparing good foods.
2. Is a lifelong battle with diabetes for your child worth the $5 you will save going to the fast food now instead of cooking at home?

Please people, stop killing your children!

Truly yours,
Jeff Barnes
on Twitter @MrJeff_Barnes
Facebook: Stop Childhood Obesity
www.MrJeffBarnes.com
www.stop-childhood-obesity.com

However, there was one individual that really stuck out in my mind and gave me hope for all those suffering from obesity and lack of motivation.  Actually there were several women that I could comment on (one lady was over 60 years old and didn’t look a day over 40!), but this individual had my undivided attention when she took the stage.

The announcer asked her to come back out and tell her story after she had finished her portion of the presentation.  This lady was in her young 40’s, had three kids, and also had a full time job.  Oh by the way, she was recently divorced as well.  She had everything going against her going into this competition.  Her life was in shambles because she was previously a stay at home mom who now needed to get a job, and her kids were not yet old enough to take care of themselves during the day.  However, that isn’t what made her story remarkable.

What made this lady’s story unforgettable was the way that she came to be on that stage.  One year prior to this competition she weighed a ridiculous 260 pounds!  Can you imagine what a 260 pound female fitness competitor would look like?  No one can because they don’t exist.  This lady, through hard work, diet, exercise, and undeterred motivation managed to lose half of her body weight!  She weighed in at about 130 pounds when she took the stage last week!  She trained and trained and trained, no doubt about it.  But more importantly was her complete focus on achieving her goal of getting up on that stage.  That was her motivation.

When asked why she chose to lose the weight and become a fitness contestant, she simply replied “Because it was time to start living my life.”  Can you imagine having that type of dedication and commitment simply because you want to start living?  As the saying goes, you either get to living or get to dying, but make a choice.  What will be your choice for you and your children?

Are you ready to get to living?

Well, I’m going to level with you and tell you that this is all 100%, totally, completely, and utterly…

CRAP!!!

I could use other adjectives to describe the excuses we seem to create as a society, but I won’t.  You and I both know that none of these entities are to blame.  You and I both know that it isn’t the government’s, media’s, or candy company’s fault that our kids are getting larger hind ends and even more clogged arteries.  You know who the real culprit is, don’t you?

Even if you don’t really want to face the truth, we all have to.  We all need to redirect who we are pointing our fingers at when it comes to not only childhood obesity, but our own selfish gluttonous ways of living.

The finger needs to be pointed at, you guessed it,

Ourselves!!!

That’s right, each and every one of us is responsible for this epidemic.  Most importantly though, and you may hate me for saying this, but the parents of this country are failing their children. That’s the God’s honest truth, isn’t it?  If parents aren’t keeping an eye on what their children are doing and eating, then who will?  Children don’t know what’s good for them and what isn’t, so we can’t expect them to make the right decisions.

The government doesn’t care about your child’s health, except when it is costing too much for health care.

Teacher’s may be somewhat concerned, but it isn’t their job or position to fix your child’s eating habits.

Candy and soda companies only care about turning a profit, not the health of their consumers (generally speaking).

The media only cares about ratings, not making Junior a better informed and healthy citizen.

Your Doctor will be concerned, but is only there when you take your children in for a check up, so they can’t affect change in your house.

So, if no one else seems to care about your child’s health and the health of our nation, who should?

YOU, THE PARENT NEEDS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR CHILD’S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING!!!

I really don’t mind being blunt and obstinate about this fact.  The sad truth is that we, as a nation, have forgone responsibility for our children’s and our own health.  We have simply stopped caring and stopped nurturing our bodies as they need to be nurtured.

I am going to ask you this though:

At what point will you and others start to take responsibility for your child’s and your health?  Once it’s too late and your both diabetic or have heart attacks?

I truly hope it is sooner than that.  Please believe me when I tell you that you truly need to take responsibility and start now, and everyone is rooting for you!

 

Another idea behind the article, and one that I tend to get on my soap box and preach about regularly, is that the parents, not the children, should be focusing on health and weight management issues.  This is especially true of women that are pregnant or want to become pregnant.  There is actually a show on TV that talked about women that didn’t know they were pregnant because they were too large!  Doesn’t that seem absurd?!?  Obviously that is an issue that needs to be addressed, but that is an extreme case of parents having no regard for their health, let alone the health of their babies.

In my, and doctors, opinions, women should begin to address their weight, eating, and lifestyle habits long before they become pregnant.  This way you will set the tone for the pregnancy, and also the years to come.  Remember that a child’s brain develops more in the first five years of life than throughout the rest of his or her life.  This means they begin to pick up on very important aspects of living: motor skills, speech and communication, basic social interactions, and even eating habits.  If mommy and daddy are busy stuffing their faces with Twinkies, ding-dongs, sugary cereal, pizza, and the like, guess what junior is going to learn?  I hope that this is common sense and you get the point.

If you want to read the original article that spawned this posting, please click here.

Last month we talked about what the causes are of childhood obesity and why this problem is becoming so epidemic. This month, I really want to focus on what parents can do to help their children prevent having weight issues as they grow.

First and foremost, you must start your children on a healthy regimen when they are young. If they aren’t young anymore, don’t worry, you can still make the changes outlined below and have an impact on your child’s life moving forward. The reason to start young is so you can plant the seed in their little minds on what being healthy is and how it can be achieved. So, what are some easy steps you can take right now to get your kids in the right mind set?

1. NEVER SKIP BREAKFAST!
This is extremely important for everyone, not just children. Can you remember the last time you went eight hours without food during the day? Unless it was for religious purposes, you probably can’t think of any instances, right? Well, that is exactly what you are doing every night when you go to sleep. Your eyelids may be closed and your activities stopped, but it doesn’t mean your body stops burning energy. Our bodies are constantly consuming energy and need to be replenished regularly…with healthy supplies! So, after an eight hour fast, you need to wake your little ones with a nutritious breakfast and get their bodies primed for a long day at school or the play yard. (For some good ideas on what to have for breakfast, go to http://www.stop-childhood-obesity.com/healthy-recipes.html)

2. Replace All Soft Drinks and Fruit Juices with Water.
Ever look at the labels on the fruit juices you are giving your children? Take a guess how much sugar is in one serving? A single pouch of Capri Sun can have as much as 26 grams of sugar! That’s two-thirds of what is in a can of soda, which also should be a no-no for kids. When you replace these types of drinks with water, you can cut out nearly 50% of the sugar and carbohydrates that a child may consume in one day! That’s huge! Plus, water keeps us hydrated which helps to reduce our hunger cravings.

3. Limit Pizza, Burgers, Ice Cream, etc. to One Night Per Week.
Now, this is going to be probably more challenging than the other tasks, but it’s very important. What happens to us psychologically as we’re growing up is that we tend to see these ‘junk’ foods as an easy go-to source and tend to associate them with good feelings and quick fixes. In reality, nothing is further from the truth. These so called ‘good’ feelings one gets when consuming junk food is simply a sugar high that stimulates your metabolism. After that high is gone, the body returns to its normal state and the process of trying to get rid of those toxins (and that’s what they are, toxins) begins. This leaves people feeling low and that sub-conscious memory of feeling good that is associated with junk food returns. It’s a vicious cycle, and if it is prevented early, then the battle of breaking the habit later on in life is not an issue.

For now, I think that will be enough to get the process started. I don’t want to burden you with too many ideas and insights right now. However, now is the perfect time to start getting your family on the ‘health train.’ Everyone is talking about eating healthy and exercising more, so why not join them. Then you can have the support of others to get the job done.

If you want more support and advice, please feel free to leave a comment on our blog or in our Healthy Eating Forum.

Obesity is one of the most common problems in America. It is a problem that affects not only adults but a big portion of the young population. Children as young as 8 or 9 years old are now experiencing obesity problems. One of the major contributors of obesity is today’s sedentary lifestyle. Many of today’s young and old lead an inactive life. Getting yourself immersed in an active lifestyle will help keep you fit and healthy. Aside from keeping your body trim and in shape, an active lifestyle has many other benefits.

Apart from regular exercise and eating a healthy balanced diet,outdoor activities also form part of an active lifestyle. There are several forms of outdoor-based activities that you, or obese adults and children, can get into in order to start leading a healthier lifestyle.

* Skipping Rope – The skipping (or jump) rope is an effective calorie burner. It is a fun activity that can be done as a group or a family. Children love skipping rope so this will not be a problem even if they are obese.  Boxers tend to use this activity ad-nauseum to boost their VO2 Max, and raise their heart rate significantly.

* Cycling – Riding the bicycle is another form of exercise that can also be fun. You can even mix in a little sightseeing while riding through the park or while passing by a neighboring community. Cycling can also be done by the whole family.  If you have a gym membership, look into taking their spinning classes.  These are a great way to get a good burn in any day of the week, regardless of the weather (though I do prefer a good mountain bike in the rain any day over a gym!).

* Jumping Games Like Sack Races – Aside from being a fun parlor game, a sack race can also be a good exercise as it helps generate good blood circulation.

* Running – Running is a fun exercise and may even encourage a healthy competitive spirit among your children, friends, or other family members.

* Bouncing Off the Trampoline – The trampoline is one of the latest trends in exercise. Children will have fun trying out different jump styles. Jumping is also good for blood circulation; and the trampoline also encourages control of balance.  Just be sure to supervise when the youngsters are on the trampoline.

* Tennis or Racquetball – These games can be played by two or four players and is considered a complete body workout. It works out the entire muscle system and also helps improve coordination.  Watch out for the old guys with the glasses- they may look like an easy target, but they know their way around the court, trust me!

* Football – A game of football can also serve as the perfect whole body exercise. Like tennis and racquetball, football works out the whole muscle system and helps develop better coordination.  Don’t pull any muscles- warm up and stretch thoroughly before partaking in any of these exercises.

There are other outdoor activities that anybody can participate in. The key word here is “active”: any activity that requires a person to move and exert effort; any activity that makes a person sweat, is a good fat buster.

Try any of the outdoor activities given above and start beating obesity!

To prevent childhood obesity, instead of putting them on a diet, we can point them to the right direction by teaching them to eat healthy. Eating healthy foods will not only help prevent obesity, it can also help reduce the risk of diseases that go with eating junk or unhealthy foods. There are a number of diets that work well with adults, but that doesn’t mean that it will work on children. You can’t expect kids to know stuff like protein, or carbohydrates, or calories. If it is edible and tastes good, they eat it. That is why training a kid to eat healthy foods while he’s still young is essential in preventing childhood obesity.

Before worrying about what kind of diet you want to follow, think about your children’s health and the lifestyle that you wish for them to follow. You can begin by finding out which foods are good for you and your kids, and which are not. One thing you need to remember is that the closer a food is to its natural condition; the better it is for your health. Foods such as fresh fruits and berries are awesome as they will satisfy your craving for sweets.

Steaming green, orange, and yellow veggies will help retain its nutritional value as these types of vegetables are packed with vitamins and minerals. However, you need to be careful with the sauces that go with salads, because they may be high in calories and fats that are bad for you. We all know that some kids hate to eat foods such as green veggies; the key is to feed it to them at a young age as some vegetables will take some getting used to.

When it comes to pasta or any baked goods, you should go for whole grains. Kids love sugary snacks, but you shouldn’t spoil them with it. As much as possible, you must teach your kids to avoid eating too many sweets. Healthy foods can include lean meats and, of course, fish. Ocean fish are packed with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids that are often lacking in our daily consumption. So try serving it to your children two to three times a week. Finally, keep in mind that steaming or baking is way healthier than frying.

As the number of obese children keeps on growing, many scientists are now looking at the two aspects of childhood obesity effects, namely the physical and the mental aspects. Children who suffer from obesity may encounter the same physical effects as obese adults. Like any overweight adult, obese kids may also be at risk of heart diseases, high blood pressure, type II diabetes, sleep apnea, and certain types of cancer. Take note that diseases such as these have no prejudices.

The childhood obesity effects previously mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg. There is a lot that could go wrong in an obese kid’s body. One condition that overweight children are at risk of is coronary heart disease. Keep in mind that heart diseases have no discriminations. It does not matter if you’re black, white, or brown, young or old, male or female. The fact is obesity is a serious risk factor for heart diseases.

The mental aspect of childhood obesity effects can be as serious as the physical aspect of it. An obese kid can suffer from serious psychological problems. A study has shown that some obese children think very little with regards to their quality of life. They presented scores as low as kids suffering from cancer. Obese kids are showing signs of low self-esteem. We all know that some serious mental illnesses are rooted in low self-esteem. This is one of the serious childhood obesity effects.

It is believed that the quality of life is composed of physical well-being, mental well-being, and social well-being. Our quality of life is measured by those three aspects. When you do something to tip the scales and disturb the balance of those three aspects, your quality of life could significantly decrease.

Social biases and low self-esteem are the two main aspects that may have the most effect, psychologically, on obese children as well as adults. Social indifference could result in less or no friends at all. This results in loneliness, which can be a huge factor in having low self-esteem. The isolation and the discrimination that an obese kid endures in school or at home will have great effects on his mental health as he grows up.

These kinds of childhood obesity effects pose a great threat on the next generation of children, if we do not do something about the problem of childhood obesity.

Well the plain, simple, and easy truth is that children, or any species for that matter, don’t learn through directing.  True, we can learn certain tasks by being told how to accomplish them, such as reading, but even then there is a certain amount of leading occurring.  As humans, we learn more through watching and imitating than any other way.  If you asked the professional sports players how they got so great, their responses would be 99.9% the same: emulating their idols.

If it is true that a professional athlete can learn most of their skill through emulating others, than doesn’t it stand to reason that your child will learn other skills in life the same way?  Of course it does.  That is why it is so important to lead by example rather than tell them how to live and hope for the best.  This means you can’t just tell your child to eat their veggies.  You have to eat them yourself first, and let them see you enjoy them.  This is key!  If you try to swallow some broccoli by forcing yourself to hold back the urge to regurgitate it, do you think that your toddler is going to think it is a fun food to eat?  Probably not.

So what happens if you don’t like eating healthy?  Well, then you are going to have a heck of a time teaching your children to eat healthy.  If you have no desire to change your own thought processes, then you will never be able to encourage your child to think positively about living a healthy lifestyle.  In other words “Good Luck Chuck!”  If however you have realized the importance of your child’s health and future,  you will be willing to change your way of thinking, and thus change both you and your child’s lives for the better.

If you want to change but don’t know how, then you can check out my companion website, Stop Childhood Obesity, or speak to your primary care physician.  Other sources for help are BeverlyMonical.com, or the Mayo Clinic.  Whichever choice you make, be sure it is not a selfish one, but rather a choice dedicated to improving your child’s overall health and well being.

Best of Luck!