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!

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!

 

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!

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!

We need to realize that obesity and children is not a good mix. Obese children have the tendency to become overweight when they reach adolescence. Overweight or obese kids also have a high risk of becoming obese adults if one or both parents are overweight. That is not a good sign, since many 30 to 40-something Americans are on the heavy side. Children are the ones that are greatly affected by this health issue, especially nowadays that a lot of children are spending most of their time watching television or playing video games. The tradition of playing baseball, basketball, or football in the neighborhood playground is coming to an end.

With regards to obesity and children, efficient preventive measures should be learned, practiced, and implemented. This is not an epidemic that we can fix by prescribing pills or giving shots. Battling child obesity is a serious lifestyle overhauling and also focuses on the issue of how parents take care of their children, as well as themselves. The first thing that people should remove from their heads is that obese toddlers or kids are cute or healthy. People generally think that a fat kid is cute, or huggable, or well fed. No they are not. If anything, they have a poor diet and an unhealthy lifestyle.

An unhealthy lifestyle and a poor diet are some of the main causes of childhood obesity. A daily routine of school, bus ride going home, video games, microwave meals, television, sleeping late, waking up early the next morning for school is not what you might call a suitable lifestyle for a kid. This is why when you read articles in the paper or in the Internet, the words obesity and children are always inseparable. That is what many people these days see pot-bellied apple-shaped kids. That’s really scary.

Child obesity is an issue that parents should play a huge role in. The key in preventing childhood obesity is proper parenting. Obesity and children is something that parents have a lot to do with. Take note that good parenting can be measured through the values and principles that kids observe as they grow up.

In all honesty, these studies are complete bull.  You see, what every study fails to mention is not whether or not a person will actually lose weight, children included, if they exercise or not.  We know for a fact that exercise will definitely have positive effects for anyone who actually does exercise on a frequent basis.  Where the studies are misleading people is in the nutritional area that is supposed to accompany exercise.

What the doctors are saying is that exercise, by its very nature, causes us to need more energy (food).  That of course triggers an emotional response that makes us have cravings, thus causing us to seek out any type of food to fill these cravings.  The problem lies in what type of food we are eating.  If exercise forces us to need about 100-500 more calories per day that we really work out, then of course we need to eat a little more.  However, filling up on junk food, including soda pop, candy, popcorn, cookies, etc. isn’t doing the job. You need to eat high quality proteins, fats, and carbohydrates to ensure the cravings you feel are actually being filled with proper nutrition.

I will state that again: eating the right types of food in conjunction with exercise will inevitably lead to weight loss.  No binging on ice cream, donuts, cookies, cake, muffins, bagels or any other form of sugar-laden treat!  Instead, go for some high fiber, 100% whole grains, mixed with carbs from fruits and veggies, along with good quality sources of protein in order to combat these cravings.

Eating is a necessary complement to exercise, but it is up to you to ensure that your family eats the right foods to help spur on weight loss!