Raising Kids:

Parenting Skills for the 21st Century

Diet & Excercise

One of the most significant gifts parents can give their children is a love for physical fitness, exercise and a good diet. It will help them prevent many diseases (such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and osteoarthritis), live longer and have a higher quality of life along the way. Unfortunately, some studies have indicated that up to 25% of children in the U.S. are either obese or at risk of becoming obese. The major cause is poor diet and lack of exercise.

Here are a few common sense tips to help your kids eat a good diet and maintain the right level of physical fitness.

1.    Set the example. If you are not physically active, join a gym or take up running or walking. It is imperative that your children see you doing what you recommend they do. It is not critical that you be in tip-top shape, just that they see you making an effort to improve your level of physical fitness.

2.    Feed your kids a good diet. Your kids eat primarily what you give them or buy for your home. Insure that you offer them healthy food at meals and healthy snacks between meals. If you feed your kids a diet of very high calories or high fat content, you are putting them at great risk of becoming obese. Many studies have proven that when kids are consistently provided tasty and colorful snacks and meals that include fruits, veggies and low fat alternatives, they will eventually enjoy them, even if they have become hooked on junk food.

3.    Get your kids involved in sports or other physical activity. Get your kids involved in whatever you can to keep them active. Soccer, track, gymnastics, swimming, martial arts, cheerleading, etc. all provide structured practice that will keep your kids fit. If your kids are opposed to these activities, take them hiking, jogging, or buy workout equipment to use at home such as a treadmill or stationary bike. The key is to keep your kids active.

4.    Make good weather equal outdoors time. Do not allow your kids to stay inside during good weather, especially on the weekends. Make your kids play outside when the weather is nice. Get them to ride bikes, skate or ride scooters. Buy a trampoline or swimming pool if you can afford it and have them play for a minimum of one hour each day.

5.    Limit T.V., computer and video game time. Few activities are more sedentary than watching T.V. or playing on the computer and video games. Be firm that only an hour or two per day is allowed to be spent on these activities.

6.    Consult your physician. Ask your pediatrician if your children are within height/weight guidelines. Ask for tips on promoting a healthy lifestyle for your kids and follow them.

Although these recommendations may seem straightforward, they are followed by an amazingly low number of families. Don’t let your family be one of them. Your kids are counting on you. Their health, vitality and quality of life are all dependent on the habits you instill in them early in life. When they impart these values on their children, you will have impacted healthy lifestyles for generations to come.

Keep in mind that it is never too late to start. If you have not lived healthily, start before you have children. If you are deciding now to get your kids involved in exercise, go on the journey with them.

Decision Making