Obesity in America
5 Ways Parents Can Encourage Fitness to Avoid Childhood Obesity
Aug 19th
The world has changed in the last 50 years. Remember the days of ‘Leave it to Beaver’? Kids would go outside first thing in the morning and wouldn’t be seen by their parents until dinner time. Children of the 50′s and 60′s would dread hearing their mother’s voice calling them home. Unfortunately, we live in a world where it isn’t safe to let kids be outside on their own all day long. Because of this and the busy lives we lead today, kids are more overweight than ever before. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Parents can help prevent inactive children from becoming inactive adults by encouraging fitness.
The Centers for Disease Control have indicated that childhood weight problems have tripled since 1980. In addition, the center is raising red flags about the health of our future generations. When you look at the lifestyle that we have today, is it any wonder? We rarely walk anywhere. We have elevators and escalators that take us from floor to floor in big buildings. Entertainment consists of movies and video games. Where is the movement and exercise? It is up to parents to take charge of our family’s health and make fitness a priority. The following five steps will help you bring movement back into your child’s life.
Have Fun! Remember how the old P.E. classes used to be? It was rigorous exercise that was compromised of calisthenics and running laps. It was not fun and definitely not worth looking forward too! However, you can make fitness fun. Make sure your kids have access to bikes, skateboards or roller blades. Take them to a park where there are playground to climb on. There are so many fun fitness options that will show kids that fitness doesn’t have to be boring!Show the way. We have all heard the saying, ‘do as I say not as I do’. Well, when it comes to fitness everyone benefits no matter their age. So make the saying ‘do as I say, and watch me do it too!’. Let your kids see that fitness and a healthy lifestyle is a part of your life. What you do really does matter, so if you make exercise a priority in your life, you kids will too!Be supportive. If your child is participating in a sports program, be there to cheer them on. Make a big deal about their participation, even if they aren’t the star player. What matters is that they have a good experience and you can help make that happen. Don’t overly critique their playing skills. If you must tell them how to do something a different way, make sure you include praise about how well they are doing in the program as well.Make family time fitness time! You can exercise together. Have family Frisbee games, go on walks and hikes together, visit the local pool and play in the water to raise your heart rate. Not only will you be helping your child get fit, but you will be building great memories as well.Restrict electronics. Technology rules our world, and unfortunately that has a negative impact on the health of the next generation. Too many kids will come straight home from school and plop down in front of the television or video games. Limited their time with television and video games to a reasonable amount of time and encourage your kids to find other activities to do. Who knows, maybe your child will find out they have a knack for basketball or soccer.
It is time for parents to reclaim their children’s health, both for today and for the future. Encourage your children to exercise and eat right. We can beat the childhood obesity epidemic!
How to Overcome Obesity With a Vegetarian Diet
Aug 19th
Obesity has become an epidemic that affects millions people all around the world. Being obese can cause a host of different health problems like diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. Because people live such busy lifestyles, fast food restaurants and processed foods are becoming more popular, which is a huge contributor to the high rates of obesity. Thankfully, you can overcome obesity without spending a lot of time or money on food preparation. A vegetarian diet has shown to be an effective tool in the fight against obesity. In fact, statistics show that the average person who follows a vegetarian diet weighs less than the average non-vegetarian person. This might be due to the fact that the average vegetarian eats 500 less calories on a daily basis than a typical meat-eater. Simply eating 500 less calories per day, without even exercising, will result in a loss of one pound per week. Imagine the weight loss if you also started a work out plan.
In order to overcome obesity with a vegetarian diet, you must prepare yourself. It is important to make sure you are stocked up on your favorite fruits and vegetables. To keep your body free of pesticides, you should opt for organic fruits and vegetables. Organic fruits and vegetables also have more vitamins and nutrients than non-organic fruits and vegetables. There are many ways to enjoy fruits and vegetables. Before switching over to a full vegetarian diet, it is a good idea to look for some recipes that you may enjoy.
It is also recommended that you avoid eating too many processed foods, especially when fighting obesity. Processed foods are not natural, and are therefore missing many important nutrients. In addition to that, they are usually very high in sodium, which can lead to weight gain. It is best to eat whole grains, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and beans. Combining all of these foods will be enough to give you all of the nutrients that you need. It is best to avoid frying these foods, as this may add fat to your diet, which will not be as helpful in overcoming obesity.
As with any diet, you will still have to watch what you eat in order to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. Eating too many sweet and salty foods will not be conducive to weight loss. Also, it is important to avoid frying foods as much as possible. Any type of cooking oil will add fat and calories to your diet. If you are really craving fried foods, try using coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil since they do not contain as many bad fats.
The key to overcoming obesity thorough a vegetarian diet is balancing the right foods. Eating nuts may be a good source of protein, but they also contain a lot of unhealthy fats, so eating them in moderation is recommended. Beans are an excellent source of protein, and can be substituted for meat in many of your favorite recipes. Snacking on fruits is also a healthier choice than eating potato chips or sugary products. Too many of them can undo all of your efforts to lose weight through this diet.
