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Child Obesity, What Can We Do?

March 20th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed

Child obesity is being called an epidemic which is indeed globally hitting all industrialized countries, and North America is at the top of the list. It is believed that over 35% of children & adolescences are overweight and this number is predicted to continue to rise to levels of over 50% by 2010 (that is only two years from now).

The sad reality is that obesity is the number one killer of children today. Another shocker is that our kids are going to have the distinct honor of being the first generation to have a lower life expectancy then “us” their parents. This is not a legacy I want to leave for my kids.

These facts being what they are, who can help and what can be done? We have all heard the saying, “Children do what we do, not what we say”. The point is as adults (not just Moms) we must lead by example. If our kids are living under our roofs then they are also living under our rules. We buy the food and we decide what activities are allowed at any given time. We all have the TV’s, computers and the video games but we ultimately decide when and for how long our kids use them. Instead of the family dispersing into separate areas of the house in the evenings, why not instead go for a walk together (even if they do keep their MP3’s stuck to their heads). Encourage the kid’s to play outside, ride bikes or play catch. The point is you don’t all have to go and join a gym; there are many ways to be active that can just be added to your daily routines.

We live crazy busy lives but in reality a lot of things can be done for our families over all health, and ultimately it doesn’t take any extra time to make healthy choices and put a bit of activity into our lives. For example, it doesn’t take anymore time to make a salad and a healthy meal than it does to order in pizza and wait for it to get to the house. Also, it takes the same amount of time to cook veggies (actually less) as it does to boil up some mac & cheese. The changes that we make don’t have to be huge in order to make a difference. The goal isn’t to put the whole family on a diet; it is to slowly and intentionally change the family life style.

The biggest excuse parents have for not eating healthy meals and putting physical activity into their lives is lack of time. If you had a kid that needed to be taken to a medical facility on a regular basis (even daily) to treat them for some sort of disease, you would instantly find the time no questions asked. This being true and I know it is, then why don’t we make the time to make our families healthy?