Why Childhood Obesity Needs to Be Taken Seriously
Recent studies completed in the last couple years about health and fitness have shown that Americans are leading the way in something. However, it is not something all of us should be proud of. We are the fattest nation in the world with nearly 40 percent of adults in the United States being considered clinically obese. This does not even take into account the adults that are merely considered just overweight.
The old saying that the sins of the father (or mother) will be visited upon the child is never more correct than when talking about weight problems. If the parent is battling weight issues, then there is a very good chance that their child will be facing difficulties in this area as well. So with this said, the reason more children are overweight directly reflects on the parents.
What’s the Big Deal?
You may be wondering why we should all be concerned about childhood obesity. Maybe you think that it is just a part of childhood for some kids and they will grow out of it. However, that is not what is currently happening, and there are consequences to it. Type 2 diabetes has always been thought of as an adult disease that affects those who are not exercising and eating the proper diet. But this has changed with more and more children being diagnosed with having Type 2 diabetes. And this is just one health issue that relates to childhood obesity.
Ask Yourself Some Questions
To quote the great Barney Fife, you have to nip it in the bud. What can you immediately do different that will help your child become more healthy and fit? For one thing, only purchase healthy foods. More than likely, your child is not buying their unhealthy groceries on their own. A parent must be supplying them with the food that is making them overweight.
Maybe your family eats relatively healthy and the diet is not the main culprit. This means that the child is living too much of a sedentary lifestyle. They just aren’t getting the activity they need to keep their weight in the considered normal range. This can be pretty common with all the electronic devices at their disposal that keeps them inside and on the couch most of the day. Plus, many children can often play video games for hours at a time. It seems more kids would rather play a baseball video game than actually participate in a real live baseball game nowadays.
As the parent leading the way, make a commitment to change the whole family’s ways to improve their health and fitness. Eat out less often and keep all of that heavily processed foods out of the house. Planning family activities like bike rides and basketball games in the driveway will help as well.
Perhaps you would be interested in a free presentation for parents offered by iAchieve. It can provide you a few valuable tips for parenting to make sure you are right on track with what you should be doing. Parenting is not an easy job, and if someone tells you that it is then they are probably clueless. It is always okay to ask for help or advice. Just like teachers often tell their class, there are no dumb questions.
Written by Ryan Crawley
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