Let's Get Our Kids Fit Now!
Do we really want to see our kids coming home in tears after being bullied about their weight? Do we want them to be embarrassed in gym class or while wearing a bathing suit? For parents everywhere, it’s time to face the music!
By Earl Salzman
Child obesity is now an epidemic in North America. According to The Heart and Stroke Foundation, more than one quarter of all children in Canada are either obese or overweight.
The future ramifications are frightening: studies predict that more than 80% of overweight children will become overweight adults, with the attendant risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.
The emotional toll is just as devastating. Overweight children are more prone to depression and to ostracism from their peers.
It’s tough enough being a kid without the added burden of being overweight. As parents, our job is to help without making them feel worse. It’s not easy, but it is ‘do-able’.
Let’s examine some positive ways of changing your children’s lifestyle:
•This is the perfect time for choosing from all the enticing programs available for kids: karate, basketball, swimming, hockey, and more. Let them choose something they love and go for it.
• Be a role model. Demonstrate your own healthy lifestyle and its benefits. Don’t just tell your kids to play or train: join them! Free play like shooting hoops or playing catch is a perfect time for you to join in, to lead by example, and to spend quality time with your kids.
• Plan active family outings, such as camping, canoeing, hiking and tobogganing.
• Limit ‘the demon’ electronics.Two hours a day is plenty for TV or online chatting. Discuss your reasoning with them. It will limit the howls of outrage.
• Make sure they are getting five servings a day of fruit and vegetables, as recommended by The Canada Food Guide.
• Aim for 60 minutes of activity per day.
• Do push healthy eating, but don’t push diets on your kids. Keep dietary goals modest. First, try to prevent your child gaining any more weight. If he or she is still growing, their current weight will become more appropriate. Next, try for a weight loss of a pound a month. Set goals with your child and work out how to reach them together. Get your children involved in the shopping. It will help them develop good eating habits.
• Eat meals together, preferably at a table and not in front of the TV.
Remember, success is not gained without some fallbacks. Be patient with yourself and your kids. The results will be worth it. Your children will get that positive start that every parent wishes for.
Earl Salzman is a Markham-based Certified Personal Trainer and educator, providing one-on-one and group training to private and corporate clients. Contact: 416-529-7173 or muscleandmusic@rogers.com
2600 John Street, Unit 207, Markham, ON L3R 3W3 T: 905.475.5222 F: 905.475.6369
