KIDS FITNESS & NUTRITION
Dateline: 6/14/99
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Kids Fitness & Nutrition
I was horrified as a worker at my local gym pushed a cart filled with boxes of drinks with barely any juice, cracker jacks, chips, and other junk food behind the juice bar counter. I expressed my displeasure with her immediately. I didn't know how worse I would feel when she told me not to worry because it was for the kids and not us! This is after this gym had started a youth fitness program! What is the world coming to these days? The National Institutes of Health (NIH) says about 55 percent of American adults are overweight or obese, up from 43 percent in 1960. Much of this can be attributed to poor habits in their youth. The Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health found that school-based programs are successful in increasing physical activity levels and emphasizing the substantial benefits of regular moderate exercise. Yet, by the time children reach high school, only 19 percent of them are considered physically active. Many adults feel miserable about their weight. In most cases their struggles with food began in childhood. In the past 20 years, obesity among 6 to 11 year-old children has increased 54%!
Ask your child if he or she wants to go play outside, and you might get quite a few reasons why they don't want to play right now. Some of these reasons could be:
I'm watching television. With the Disney channel and Cartoon Network, you can have your kids babysat 24/7.
I'm playing a video game which can include Nitendo, Super NES, Playstation, gameboy, any number of computer games, and much more..
I'm using the computer which can include many video games and the internet.
Kids are playing less and getting less exercise because of technology. As parents, we need to teach our children about having balance in our lives, exercise, fitness, and good eating habits. We need to set a good example and train our children for life. Kids shouldn't wait till they grow up to start exercising and eating right.
One researcher rewired TV sets to only work when the viewer pedaled a bicycle. The result was more exercise than usual and less TV. This maybe a little extreme, but it reminds us just how much time is spent infront of the television. We sometimes will not allow television before homework is finished. Why don't we have twenty to thirty minutes of playing outside before television? Here are some tips to help your kids stay active apart from rewiring your TV and computer:
- Set a good example. If you aren't active, why should your kids be?
- Instead of taking the car to the store, walk or ride bikes with your kids.
- Instead of having the weekly family outing to the movies, go to the park instead.
- Have birthday parties at parks, water parks, the Discovery Zone, skating rinks, and other active places where your kids can run, jump, and play.
- Do things with your kids that are fun for both of you. Go swimming, hiking, ride bikes, jump rope, tag, kickball, catch, etc.
- You can have Benny Goodsport help you out! Explore this interactive site with a fitness clown that teaches kids the importance of healthy living and fitness at http://www.bennygoodsport.com
Regular exercise can help your kids grow into fit and healthy adults by reducing their risk of a wide range of health problems such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure. And, in addition to keeping your child physically healthy, staying fit can also boost their self-esteem, according to the American Dietetic Association (ADA). So help your kids get excited about exercise while they're young. Exercising can become a habit that will provide them with a lifetime of benefits.
Getting your kids more active is only half the
battle. Good nutrition is equally as important! Your typical household will
have a cookie jar or bag, several six packs of soda, bottles of "stuff" that is
supposed to contain juice, and lots of candy. All these things contribute to obesity
in children. These things should be a treat and not the norm. Here are some
great tips on helping your children eat better from
http://jhbmc.bayview.jhu.edu/cardiology/
PARTNERSHIP/kids/avoid.obesity.txt &
http://jhbmc.bayview.jhu.edu/cardiology/
PARTNERSHIP/kids/healthy.choices.txt
*Special Note - To find out which drinks and juices really got the juice for your kids, subscribe to the free, weekly newsletter to get the 411! Your kids shouldn't be drinking vitamin-fortified, sugar water! This important information will only be available in the newsletter. You will also be informed when articles appear on tips for youth weight training and much more!
- Children who eat meals do better nutritionally and are better at liking and managing a variety of foods than children who merely snack. Children should not be forced to join the clean plate club or eat foods they hate. Its important that children come to the table hungry, learn how to control hunger and wait for their meal to be served.
- Remove eating cues around the house. A candy dish or a cookie jar are common cues to eat, especially if a child is sensitive to such sweets. It is not necessary to totally deprive your child of sweets, but making them available all the time is creating constant temptations which will result in poor eating habits. *
- Desserts and sweets should not be used for rewards.
- How can you help children make healthful choices? Children have a variety of likes and dislikes and concerns when it comes to food. Kids are usually more interested in french fries, soda and ice cream than fresh vegetables, fruits and milk. It is common for children to refuse certain foods, such as spinach,or to demand their favorites, like hotdogs and pizza. You must be positive and offer a variety of choices, while balancing and moderating foods.
- Have family meals. Set a good example by eating a wide variety of foods and providing a pleasant eating environment. Children need to see that parents value a family mealtime. Get your child involved in menu plans and food preparation. Make it something fun that can be done together. Teach your child to eat slowly which will allow them to thoroughly taste and enjoy their food and recognize the feeling of fullness.
- Make meal time pleasant with conversation and sharing. Don't use this time for scolding or criticizing. If parents criticize and meal times are tense, it may reflect your child's current and future eating habits
- Set the groundwork for building your child's self-esteem: listen to them, show them that you love and accept them, and whatever their weight, they will feel cherished.
- Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It breaks our "fast" after a night's sleep and gives us energy and nutrients we need to start our day. Unfortunately typical diets include eggs, bacon, sausage, butter, cream, doughnuts, coffee cakes and cookies at the breakfast table. These items are high in cholesterol and saturated fat. But wait, the alternatives are tasty, healthy and plenty more nutritious.
- Try whole wheat toast with low-fat cottage cheese. Place under broiler until cheese is bubbly. Top with sliced strawberries and a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Save left-over brown rice in individual freezer containers. Cover with water and reheat in the microwave. Mix in raisins or chopped fresh fruit. Add skim milk and serve as cereal.
- Try scrambling the whites of eggs only - you will get the protein without the cholesterol.
- Sweeten oatmeal, oat bran, or other whole grain cereals with fresh fruit or raisins instead of honey or sugar
- Packing a kid's lunchbox with nutritious, appealing foods is not easy. Kid's tend to trade that shiny apple at lunch time for a piece of a classmates frosted cake. Nutrition and food habits start when kids are young and can remain with kids throughout their lives. So teach them good ones now!
- Have kids try something other than bread with their sandwiches. Try rice cakes, pita pockets, or whole wheat or corn tortillas to wrap your kid's favorite sandwich stuffers.
- Instead of using luncheon meats (which are usually high in fat and sodium), use leftovers such as sliced chicken or chicken salad with low fat mayo or mustard, fish fillets, or sliced turkey breast piled high with vegetables. Although it is filled with protein, peanut butter has a lot of fat so spread it thin and add low sugared jelly, raisins, dates and bananas.
- Put low fat yogurts, fresh fruits and vegetables, low salt pretzels and low fat cookies (Frookies, Entenmann's, Pepperidge Farm) in lunch bags.
- At dinner time kids can help in the kitchen by setting the table, preparing menu items, washing and cutting up fruits and vegetables etc. Dinners should include lean cuts of red meats (no more than 2 times a week) lean poultry and fish (avoid high fat sauces); fresh vegetables, grains, rice, beans, pasta (avoid high fat cheeses and butter and salt); skim milk or fruit juice and lowfat desserts or fresh fruits for after dinner.
- Don't put a salt shaker on the table. You do not need it. Most foods contain enough salt without adding any more. A teaspoon of salt has 2000 milligrams of sodium.That almost exceeds what you need in a day (2300 mgs). Instead of salt, flavor foods with garlic, onion, herbs and spices, vinegar, fruit and vegetable juices (tomato juice can be high in salt) and low-salt soup broth.
- Family style meals tend to provide more nutrients and better balance and variety than meals eaten alone. Kids should be eating at least 3 meals per week with family members.
- Children tend to grab high fat, high sodium snack foods or prepared foods (microwave meals, canned meals, etc) when eating alone. If children must eat alone they should have a variety of healthful foods available in a pinch. Pasta with a tomato sauce, macaroni with low fat cheese sauce, steamed vegetables, rice and chicken with no skin
If you are interested in getting your community more involved in kid's fitness, check this site out! http://www.acefitness.org/energy2burn Energy2 Burn is one of the most successful programs available today to encourage elementary school children to exercise regularly and enjoy a healthy active lifestyle. The program is free to schools and uses classroom activity and video to encourage kids to become more physically active. In Energy2 Burn, ACE-certified fitness instructors volunteer their time in classrooms once a week for five weeks. With the help of the Energy2 Burn video the instructors lead the students through an energized, 15-minute exercise routine and teach them brief health/fitness-related lessons.
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