In
the past four decades, obesity rates in the United States have soared
among all age groups. This rise in obesity rates has affected our youth
in alarming fashion. Childhood obesity has increased more than fourfold
among those ages 6 to 11. Over 23 million children and teenagers in the
United States ages 2 to 19 are obese or overweight, a statistic that
health and medical experts consider to be an epidemic. And this
epidemic puts nearly one third of America’s children at a early risk
for Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and even stroke
– conditions usually associated with adulthood.
It’s time to
dedicate time to educating our kids and youth to learn to eat better
and to get at least 6 minutes of exercise daily. I love speaking to our
kids and youth. They will change they just need the tools to do so.
Make
a goal to talk to your own kids about eating healthy. Set a good
example in your home so that you can raise healthy kids. Visit here to
get more ideas: Empower Me
Also come to the Fitness Fair on Sept 30th at Golds Gym in Meridian. Click here for details.
I like a local commercial they ran here, about childhood obesity… With the kids stating “mom and dad, don’t put all of it on me… look at yourself, too… you look like you could lose a few…” etc. So many times we blame children for being obese, and put them on crazy diets, and we create these psychological scars for life, instead of tackling the problem of poor eating habits as a family. The problem is not the kid – the problem is what mom and dad cook, at home… If what they cook at home seems “normal” because its the daily eating habits, then that’s what’s going to stick… and healthy eating habits are going to seem “abnormal” and hard to keep up with. I had one of those families: regular soda with every meal and snack, every day, instead of water; never any vegetables at any meal; LOTS of starches and fat for every meal; giving us kids whatever we wanted, at all times, because that was “easy” to do… And then, when I became sick with PCOS and gained massive amounts of weight from it, I was blamed for “my” food choices, and put on all kinds of crazy diets by my parents. I remember we were first communion dress shopping, when I was like 7 yrs old, and it was an awful experience. I didn’t fit into dresses, and the lady at the store and my mom were shaming me: “Oh, honey, you need to eat less so your mom can dress you up like she wants.” Seriously? That’s the fault of a 7 year old?? lol So… I love that new ad they are running now… Sort of confronting parents for their part in things, and not just passing it on to “educating the child.” Parents need the most educating, so they can pass on ANYTHING at all to their young families. / End rant. hehe 