“If someone hits you, turn the other cheek and walk away,” was my Mom’s way of dealing with childhood altercations. She was not fond of confrontation of any kind and was on a mission to raise me to stay away from anything that even remotely resembled conflict.
Then my Dad stepped in. After countless times of my coming home and crying because my neighbor, Leslie, hit me or called me a bad name, my Dad intervened and said, “Next time she hits you, hit her back.” Wow – this was rather empowering. Dad gave me permission to fight back. It was legal. I couldn’t sleep that night, dreaming up ways I was going to retaliate. Sure enough, next morning rolls around and Leslie came over to “play”. She called me four-eyes, or something like that, and shoved me. As if it was yesterday, I can see myself clearly: I rolled up my sleeves, swung my arm in a wind-up fashion as if I were getting ready to take off in flight and I cold-cocked her. I must admit, it felt rather good. I stood up for myself. Guess what happened next? You’re right. Leslie never made fun of me again. In fact, we became very good friends.
I am not advocating fighting with your neighbors, no matter how mean they may be. Nor am I suggesting you teach your children that hitting back is always the answer, but I am advocating fighting a very serious plight – even worse than name-calling – childhood obesity.
We need to beat this epidemic before it rips more kids off of their health, their fun, and their future. Between 16 and 33 percent of children and adolescents are obese. Undoubtedly obesity is among the easiest medical problems to recognize and sadly the most difficult to treat. 300,000 deaths each year are a result of unhealthy weight gain due to poor diet and lack of exercise. Here are some of the dangerous diseases that are now affecting children and the primary factor is obesity:
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
Type 2 diabetes
Breathing problems, such as sleep apnea and asthma
Joint problems
Fatty liver disease, gall stones, reflux
In addition to these physical issues, there are psychological problems that arise from being an overweight child or teen: ridicule, discrimination, rejection, low self-esteem.
The annual cost to society for obesity is estimated at nearly $100 billion. Overweight children are more likely to become overweight adults unless they are taught to adopt and maintain healthier patterns of eating and exercise. The truth of the matter is – we need to make a change and create a healthier America – physically, emotionally and mentally and it is all affected by what we eat and how active we are.
Help Kids Develop Healthy Eating Habits
- Look for ways to make your kids’ favorite dishes healthier.
- Reduce portions and encourage everyone to eat slowly and enjoy each bite.
- Provide plenty of vegetables, fruits and whole grain products.
- Include low-fat or non-fat dairy products.
- Choose lean meat, poultry, fish
- Encourage drinking lots of water
- Limit sodas and sugar-sweetened drinks
- Make small changes – not all at once
Help Kids Stay Active – Burn Calories
Regular physical activity will also strengthen bones, decrease blood pressure, reduce stress, increase self-esteem and help with weight management.
Here are some suggestions:
Swimming
Jumping rope
Skating
Soccer
Dancing
Walking
Playing tag
…and more (think back to your own childhood – before X-Box, Redbox and all the other boxes)
Consider our own future and the future of our precious children. They have a great deal to offer and are our future leaders. Treating them to a healthier lifestyle will benefit all of us for a very long time.