Kids can be contrary when it comes to exercise and eating. They're picky about veggies but equal opportunity munchers of sweets. They're sluggish when you want them to move but hyper when you want them to be still. So it might not be easy to instill habits promoting health and fitness. But keep at it, learning to enjoy exercise and eat the right foods will serve them well as they move into adolescence and adulthood.
Buck the Obesity Trend
Exercise and a healthy diet can help kids avoid the worrisome trend of childhood obesity. According to the Cleveland Clinic, one in five American children is overweight, and usually the reason isn't complex: Kids are too sedentary and eat too many of the wrong foods. When overweight children become overweight adults, the medical consequences can be serious. Carrying extra pounds puts people at risk for many ailments including high blood pressure and cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, asthma, and some types of cancer.
Nutrition for Kids
Your own diet might be one key to encouraging a healthy diet for your children. Make sure they see you enjoying a balanced diet including lean proteins, low-fat dairy foods, fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Don't use food as rewards or punishments, and keep a variety of nutritious foods on hand for snacks. High-fat treats, fast foods and empty calories like soda are OK once in a while, but avoid serving them regularly. And some kids might be more open to nutritious foods when they get to help shop for and prepare them.
Getting Enough Exercise
Most children should get at least an hour of physical activity each day. That's not always easy to enforce when kids are glued to televisions, laptops and video games. But according to the National Institutes of Health, regular exercise not only burns calories but alleviates stress, boosts self-esteem, helps children sleep better and builds their bones, muscles and joints. Help your kids find exercises they enjoy, whether team or individual sports, biking, or instructional activities, such as dancing or martial arts classes.
Diet and Exercise Tips
Perhaps the kids aren't the only ones who would benefit if you turned the TV off more often. Trying new, nutritious foods can be a family affair, and so can exercise, whether it's getting out for a walk or trying Tai Chi or yoga. Avoid extra-large food portions, both at home and when you eat out. Praise your children for health-conscious behavior, such as having a salad with supper or meeting a fitness goal. And stress that lifestyle changes are not for appearance's sake but to help the whole family get more healthy and fit.
References
- Cleveland Clinic: Obesity in Children
- Mayo Clinic: Childhood Obesity: Make Weight Loss a Family Affair
- American Academy of Family Physicians: Your Child's Weight: When It's Time to Intervene
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Overweight and Obesity: Contributing Factors
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Tips for Parents: Ideas to Help Children Maintain a Healthy Weight
- National Institutes of Health Medline: Exercise for Children
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