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With childhood obesity rates on the rise, parents and educators are desperately seeking a solution to the problem. While it seems wise and necessary to teach kids about nutrition and calorie reduction, experts suggest a more comprehensive solution. Research shows that building self-esteem through physical fitness and activity seems to be much more effective than only preaching about carbs, fats and protein.
Being active and engaged allows children to develop confidence, social skills and an overall desire towards becoming a proactive participant in their own lives. Without the sense of achievement and mastery that comes with learning something new, children can easily regress and find emotional comfort from food.
Think about it. How many times do we as adults eat out of boredom or loneliness? Making matters worse, many individuals report feelings of guilt associated with emotional eating, yet often return to food for comfort. Kids can get trapped in the same cycle. In order to decrease the risk of allowing this cycle to begin in the first place, it is essential for parents and educators to promote an active, engaged lifestyle.
Parents can start by limiting television. As a parent myself, I know all to well how easy it is to plug your child in front of the TV when you’re feeling stretched thin. However, studies repeatedly show that the more kids view television, the greater the chance that they will become overweight. In addition to promoting an inactive lifestyle, more than 80 percent of food commercials aired during kids televisions shows are for junk food, thus perpetuating the problem.
So is the solution no TV at all? The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under 2 watch no television at all, while children 2 and over should watch no more than an hour or two a day. Experts also recommend allowing your child to watch a DVD or video rather than a television program because DVD’s eliminate exposure to harmful advertising. Furthermore, a DVD has an end point and can be turned off, unlike a TV station that plays kids programming all day long. If you choose to allow your child to watch television or a DVD, select the program together and limit the time to one program or one DVD. Then, turn it off and encourage them to get involved in any project that encourages their minds to become active again.
Require your children to have 2 interests. That’s right, require or insist upon this! Give them plenty of options but strongly encourage them to select 2 activities that they are committed to. I suggest one being for the body (i.e. gymnastics, soccer, dance, softball, etc.) and one for the mind (i.e. story time, arts and crafts, music, etc.) This way they can develop and explore both their physical and emotional interests. Consistency is the key and these activities should take place weekly. If you fear you or your child will not commit weekly without a more rigid schedule, find structured activities. You and your child may be more likely to get moving if you have a date with a class or lesson.
Structured activity opportunities are abundant in Chicago, allowing even the littlest of children to get involved. ‘My Gym’, a children’s fitness center, offers classes for kids as young as 6 weeks old. Kara Mackey Co-Director of ‘My Gym’ in Lincoln Park is committed to encouraging our youth to become active. “We believe that encouraging exercise and activity in young children will lead to a richer and healthier future. The children have a blast gaining strength, balance, coordination, agility and flexibility while developing social skills, confidence and self-esteem. Keeping children happy is the heart of ‘My Gym’. The better children feel about themselves, the more likely they will be to step up to challenges in adulthood. We are preparing children to know, enjoy and respect physical fitness so they grow up maintaining a healthy lifestyle.” Says Mackey.
Another organization in Chicago with a similar goal is, ‘The Kids Table’, owned by Elena Marre, mother of two young boys. ‘The Kids Table’ offers cooking classes for kids and adults. They use only natural ingredients and whenever possible feature local, organically grown produce. Marre’s goal is to instill a love and appreciation for healthy foods while encouraging and empowering kids to begin making their own healthy food choices.
Lastly, examine your own activity habits. Stimulate your child’s desire to be active by staying committed to your own activity. Whether it is a commitment to your weekly yoga class or involvement in your local choir, stay dedicated. Don’t use lack of time as an excuse to disengage. Your children will model your own behavior and it is important to be a positive role model and advocate of activity. Kids will model your behavior and if you are active and engaged there is good chance that they will be too.
Alexa Burnell is certified through the Shapedown organization as a Childhood Obesity Specialist.
Comments
Nice article Alexa. Self esteem and self worth are very important for kids.
What I didn't see in your blog was the role of strength training. Research shows that strength training is the single most effective exercise modality for warding off and reversing adolescent obesity. In fact, aerobic exercise does little to combat the issue and research indicates that obese kids are not less active than their lean counterparts.
We've all observed lean yet inactive kids and over fat and active kids. The reason for this is how each child handles carbohydrates. Some are able to eat loads of sugar and stay lean, many cannot. This is the crux of the issue.
Kids (and adults) are not what they eat - they are what they do with what they eat. Physical activity, while fun and essential to happiness (for most kids - some kids like to build models, play chess, etc. more than they like sports and physical activities) is not the solution to adolescent obesity - eating more fat and less sugar is.
Kids yoga is a great way to build in physical activity that builds strength and can be aerobic or cardio as well...
I agree that promoting physical activity and a healthy body image are extremely important in solving our childhood obesity problem. I also feel that a well rounded approach is necessary! In my new book, "How to Eat Fried Chicken and Be Thin Too" I address the 4 most important components to an overall healthy lifestyle for the whole family. If anyone is interested, the book can be found on Amazon.com or at Strategic Book Publishing.
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