Obesity in America
Childhood Obesity
Children’s Fitness Can Be Fun – Promoting a Healthy Life Style
Aug 25th
When an adult thinks about exercise, the first thing that comes to his/her mind is exhausting workouts in the gym on a treadmill or lifting weights. But for kids, exercise can have entirely different meanings, because playing games and being active is also exercise, helping the kids get fit. Kids exercise when attending gym classes, dancing classes or soccer practice at school. They also exercise when they’re at playing games, riding bikes, or having fun at the swimming pool.
Today, most people follow such hectic lifestyle routines that no one has enough time to engage in regular healthy activities like gym sessions or sports. It’s also true that many parents don’t have enough time to properly encourage their children to take part in regular and organized sports and physical activities. Exercise and fun sessions also help to boost confidence and learning power of a child.
Many Benefits of Exercise
Everyone can benefit from regular exercise and fitness routines, and Kids who are active will often benefit from the following;
Weight Control: It is often reported that many children spend their leisure time watching TV or playing computer games and do not involve themselves in children’s fitness, healthy fun and sports activities, resulting in many children suffering from some level of obesity. Increasing physical activity along with a well balanced & healthy diet has been known as an effective weight-loss strategy, and helps with self-esteem and socialization. Overweight children are exposed to many health hazards like hypertension, hyperlipidemia, type 2 diabetes, growth hormone dysregulation, and respiratory and orthopedic problems. Fun session and kids fitness activities help a child to improve their health and encourage a healthier lifestyle in general.
Cardiovascular protection: Although cardiovascular disease often doesn’t appear until adulthood, risk factors can be present much earlier in life. Regular exercise significantly reduces blood cholesterol level and thus, prevents from cardiovascular diseases.
Mental health benefits: Fun sessions and kids fitness activities can also positively affect the mental health of a child. They can help reduce anxiety and depression, increase self-esteem, improve a child’s self-image, and help them cope with everyday situations better.
Obesity in Children – A Problem That Needs to Be Solved Now
Aug 24th
Childhood obesity is a rapidly growing epidemic that has increasingly become a concern to parents and health practitioners alike. In the past 30 years alone, the prevalence of childhood obesity has more than tripled moving from affecting 5% of children to nearly 20%. Though obesity itself does not necessarily pose any health risks, the condition has been linked to other disorders which could compromise a child’s wellbeing.
Childhood obesity can cause children to develop health issues which used to be present only in adults. Two examples are diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Type 2 diabetes used to be known as “adult onset” diabetes; however, because so many children have begun to develop the condition at an earlier age, the name is no longer accurate. The condition causes problems in the way the body metabolizes sugar and is caused most frequently by poor nutrition. Type 2 diabetes can often be reversed by changing to healthier eating and exercise habits.
Metabolic syndrome is not necessarily a disease in itself, but a group of conditions which can lead to more serious health risks later in life like heart attack or stroke. The conditions associated with metabolic syndrome include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar, and excess body fat.
Other health conditions associated with childhood obesity are breathing problems. The excess weight on the child’s body can cause problems in the development of the child’s lungs. These problems can lead to breathing conditions like asthma, snoring, or sleep apnea.
Obesity is also known to cause social and psychological problems in children. Obesity is often a cause of bullying, which can lead to low-self esteem and depression. Overweight children are also known to be more at risk for high anxiety, learning problems, and poorer social skills.
If a child is determined to be obese, there are a number of possible treatment methods. If the child is under the age of 7, doctors will often recommend attempting to maintain weight rather than lose it. This is because, as the child grows in height, his/her BMI will eventually reach a more normal level.
For children over the age of 7, it may be necessary to adopt a weight loss plan to avoid further health concerns. Weight loss should happen gradually and steadily over time. A child should not seek to lose more than a pound per week because this drastic change could cause a number of other complications.
Regardless of whether the child seeks to lose or maintain weight, the same practices should be adopted: healthy eating habits and regular exercise. And because parents chose the food the child will eat and have the most say over the child’s lifestyle practices, it is largely their responsibility to make sure the child becomes committed to a new diet plan. If the parent does not seem to care about good health, the child will not care either.
Childhood obesity is an important issue to combat in order to ensure children grow up healthfully. Through education and training, children will be able to understand how their choices impact their bodies and how they can continue to make good and healthy decisions.
