After watching the movie "Ironman" it sparked the
thought of how much we all strive to look up to a hero. Somebody that can come
to the rescue and save the world, we’re constantly searching the world
over for heroes. This is not to fill in a missing piece in ourselves, but
rather represents an ongoing search for inspiration, stimulation, and
motivation. Even those of us who are self-starters need coaches and mentors to
cause us to reach ever-higher levels of achievement. In this, we all need
support. We all need guidance. We all need fresh perspectives. We all need
heroes.
Children, in particular, need guidance.
Kids need rules, they need structure. Usually, a child's parents are their
leaders or role models. Other relatives, teachers, peers, and older children
may also fill these roles. Let's
consider parents, relatives, and teachers to be the adults in a child’s environment.
In America, one-third of all adults are obese.
An additional one-third of adults are overweight. Almost one-half of American
adults do not do any vigorous physical activity on a regular basis.
Three-quarters of adults do not get enough physical activity to meet
public health recommendations. The
awful bottom line is that the majority of Americans are out-of-shape,
overweight or obese. We as adults are the role models for the future
generations of children. Our example is creating a dangerous result, one-third
of American children are overweight or obese. Juvenile diabetes is an epidemic
that is getting worse every year. Type 2 diabetes, previously rare in young
people, is now a commonly recognized diagnosis in kids. Even hypertension is increasing
its prevalence in teenagers and rising every year.
We're in the midst of a
healthcare disaster.
Diabetes and obesity are twin raging epidemics endangering the health and
welfare of our nation's young people. In New York City, by the age of 4, there
is a one in three chance that the child will be obese. More than 40% of
children are at an unhealthy weight at ages 2 and 3, national statistics are
similar. Studies
demonstrate that almost two-thirds of American children ages 9 through 13 don’t participate in any organized physical activity during
non-school hours. Twenty-five percent do not engage in ANY free-time
physical activity.
Kids mimic the habits of their
parents or other significant adults. If the adults eat cheeseburgers and fries
three times a week, so will the kids. If adults don't eat fresh fruits and
vegetables, neither will the kids. Also, if child see their parents putting on
more and more weight, they will put on more and more weight. If adults spend no
time exercising, neither will the kids.
Luckily, the converse is also
true, and this is where parents can become heroes to their kids -
literally saving their kids' lives. If kids see their parents choosing healthy
behaviors and being positive and supportive about doing so, kids will begin to
choose those healthy behaviors, too. Spending time outdoors walking or hiking
in nature is a great exercise for the family. Bike riding, skating and
rollerblading are packed with physical health benefits and lots of fun too! Let's
start to teach our kids that exercise can be fun. Strength training, aerobic exercise and core
exercises can all be incorporated into family games and fitness activities.
We MUST also start to teach
our kids that healthy eating can be fun, nurturing and nutritious. Teaching the
children around us healthy shopping, cooking, and snacking habits can all
become key components of a healthy family lifestyle. All children need the love,
support and guidance of the important adults in their lives. It's up to us
to be their heroes. It is even more critical than ever to really BE the role
models kids so desperately need and want!
What healthy habit will you teach a
child today?
 |
| Be a Healthy Hero! |
Berman
LJ, et al: Physical activity is related to insulin sensitivity in children and
wadolescents, independent of adiposity: a review of the literature. Diabetes
Metab Res Rev 2012
March 2 [Epub ahead of print
Fagot-Campagna
A: Emergence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in children: Epidemiological evidence.
Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism 13(Suppl 6): S1395-S1402,
2000.
Feda
DM, et al: Effect of increasing the choice of active options on children's
physically active play. J Sci Med Sport 2012 February 16 [Epub ahead of print]
Ekelund
U: Moderate to vigorous physical activity and sedentary time and
cardiometabolic risk factors in children and adolescents. JAMA 307(7):704-712,
2012
No comments:
Post a Comment