The Y recommends reading the Surgeon Generals "Call to Action" with ideas and tips on how to prevent and overcome obesity. One of the main I things a parent can do is set a good example. A parent certainly wouldn't let their young child smoke cigarettes, but getting them set up at an early age for heart disease may be more harmful than that. Here are my favorite tips from the Call of Action:
1. Stock the refrigerator/cabinets with healthy foods. Of coarse a child will pick cookies over veggies if given the choice! If it's not in the house, they won't eat it and will be forced to choose something healthy if they are really hungry. (Whining may happen, but oh well. If they whined for cigarettes, it would be a hands down NO!)
2. Discourage eating in front of the TV. I know that when I'm distracted, I eat faster, and this goes for children too. By slowing down and listening to their bodies, they will know when they are full.
3. Don't use food as a reward or withhold it as a punishment. I'm guilty of this one: "Finish your dinner or you won't get dessert!" This trains kids that they should eat when they are not hungry to get dessert. If dessert is a reward, it's associated with feeling good, hence "Comfort Food."
4. Be active for at least 60 minutes a day. This may seem like a no-brainer, but it's something that many kids aren't doing. Provide safe environments for kids to play (swimming, biking, etc.) and have certain hours of the day where no tv or video games are allowed. (If whining ensues, see #1.)
Even with extremely overweight children, weight loss should be gradual. You should never put a child on a strict diet (unless supervised by a physician) but you should teach them healthy eating habits right from the start. While my kids and I aren't overweight, we do eat quite a bit of fast food and it's something that I know I need to change. Now.
-Jeannine Borasch, MS in Exercise Science & Health Promotion
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Ok, I don't anymore, but I used to. Years ago just the thought of working out made me tired. After taking care of the kids all day and cooking and cleaning and all the other stuff I had to do, the last thing I wanted to do was go to the gym. My energy hit an all-time low and I was feeling depressed. I knew that exercise would help, but I just didn't know how to get motivated. At a conference I heard some advice that for me would be life-changing. If you like music, only listen to it at the gym. Books on tape? Only listen to it at the gym. TV? Only watch it while your at the gym. It could even work for a favorite game you like to play on your phone. It seemed so simple so I tried it, and you know what? It worked. I downloaded some really great songs and only allowed myself to listen to it at the Y. Pretty soon I was also addicted to the feeling I had on days I worked out. (The few hours of free childwatch didn't hurt either!) What could be your motivation?
From my personal experience, music makes a huge difference in how hard I exercise. During my daily run, I start to lose momentum around mile two and that's when I need to hear something good. After I've flipped through what seems like a zillion songs, I find a newer one that gets me going and I get instantly energized. No doubt it's totally mental because I haven't changed anything physically. But it really does work. Even the pause in between songs gets me tired. Perhaps it's because I can hear myself breathing and I remember how hard I'm working. Is the brain that easily tricked? Does music make a difference in how hard you exercise?
-Jeannine Borasch, MS in Exercise Science & Health Promotion
