subject: Exercise And Proper Nutrition For Children It Needs To Be Addressed In America [print this page] If you are the parent of a child, or children who are overweight this should be of major concern to you. To be quite frank a frightening proportion of our youth under 16 are fat, completely out of shape and on the path towards having a shortened life span. Exercise and proper nutrition for children is a subject that needs to be seriously addressed in America.
Admittedly when I was growing up in the 1960's life was different compared to what a large percentage of youth have to face in today's world. When I was in my youth neighborhood kids used to go outside after school and during the summer and play games together. We participated in games that involved physical activity, getting exercise and our heart rates elevated. Many kids that I remember in the neighborhood had thin frames. In the summertime we used to play outside until dark or when our parents called us back inside for the evening.
In the year 2012 even the family dynamic has changed in America. Many kids are raised in single parent family homes. The one parent, (mother or father) has to often work two jobs to support his/her children. Because of that many children are known now as latch-key kids; coming home from school to an empty home. The situation in these homes are tough and often an older sibling is left in charge to, in a sense almost be a parent to a younger brother(s) or sister(s).
We also live now in the age of video and computer games. Whereas the youth from my generation entertained themselves by running around outside, (and getting health exercise in the process); today it's all about kids sitting in front of a television or computer screen where the only body part getting exercise are the fingers in their hands. Couple this with the fact that children, at home by themselves, choose to snack on unhealthy junk food while playing their latest video game; well one can easily understand why our youth are now so out of shape.
Parents, in case you are unaware the American Medical Association has released key information publicly which should scare you. Never before in our country's history has such a large proportion of kids under 14 statistically been placed in the obese category regarding their body weight. An even more staggering statistic released by the Association is that the life span of our youth, for the first time ever, is predicted to be shorter than the life span of adults now living in this country.
If you are the parent of an overweight child my message is intended as a wake-up call to you. Start taking action now! You may be a single parent of more than one child and I understand that it can be tough both monetarily, physically, (you're the one on the go all the time) and mentally to raise your children. But you must place your child(ren) in the forefront of your thoughts now regarding their health today and into the future.
Parents, you can begin by doing some research about what is available regarding valued and trustworthy youth exercise programs. Are there programs available in a neighborhood YMCA or after-school program sponsored by your kids' school? Are there rec leagues in your town that have soccer or little league baseball, (or softball programs for girls)? Are there swim clubs, as with the success this summer of the USA swim team in the Olympics, (and even going back to the Beijing games in 2008) youth swimming involving both boys and girls has risen dramatically in this country. Are there dance or gymnastic classes for your daughter who might be interested in that activity? Do whatever it takes to get your children out of their non-active lifestyle and away from the Sony PlayStation III as the sole form of entertainment daily.
As a parent I also charge you with taking a keen interest in the diet and nutrition of your child. Your child probably loves those twinkies, snickers' bars and chocolate-chip cookies to snack on when they get home from school, often while simultaneously playing their video games. But these forms of junk food contain a lot of sugar and bad fat. Inactive children will put on weight by gorging themselves with these types of unhealthy foods daily. This can easily lead to your child not only becoming fat, but to possible future serious health issues the most prominent being diabetes!
Parents as you are the adult, and I assume responsible for doing the grocery shopping weekly I urge you to replace the junk food that you purchase weekly with healthy items instead such as fruit, nuts and fiber filled granola bars as snack items for your children. I also understand that microwavable frozen dinners are much easier to prepare, especially with your hectic lifestyle as an adult. But, you need to include more healthy (farm raised if possible) baked chicken or fish recipes and less frozen dinners preserved with sodium and bad fat in your kids' diets. Feed your children lots of green vegetables, even ones that can be steamed in a microwave. Cut back on the soda and juice items as drinks. I often drink flavored water that tastes just as good as soda, with the added feature that the product contains no sugar and zero calories!
