Simple Steps to Ease Childhood Obesity Problems
In my previous article, I talked about the growing danger of childhood obesity in wealthy and developed nations, especially the United States. This problem is partly caused by the lifestyle changes that are going on in those countries. One of the major foundations of the lifestyle changes is the rapid advancements of technology. It is undeniable that technology has helped in making our life easier, but you have to remember that technology can also become a double-edged sword. With advanced technology, we do not need to do as much labor intensive work as we used to do in the past. Unfortunately, with the abundance of stored energy, only a handful of people exercise regularly. Most prefer to enjoy variety of indoor entertainments such as video games, television, and DVD movies. In addition, with their busy schedules, more people are getting more dependent on fast foods which are usually high in saturated fat and generally not as healthy as home-cooked foods.
When parents are enjoying this kind of lifestyle, naturally their children will follow along and imitate their habits. No wonder, we encounter so many childhood obesity problems lately. Furthermore, it is getting more difficult to find healthy meals at school cafeterias. More schools have allowed variety of fast food vendors to rent some of space at the school cafeterias. Moreover, vending machines that we can regularly see at schools, are usually stocked with candy bars and soda. So, in essence, our children are learning bad habits that can lead childhood obesity from their parents at home. Then, these habits get enforced at school with the blatant display of variety of not so healthy foods. So, now do you still wonder why many of our children are getting obesity problems?
So, what should parents do to help their children cope with their obesity problems? With the intense exposure to junk food ads and vendors, you might think that this is going to be a tough and hopeless battle to fight. But, do not lose your hope yet, as long as you are committed to find a solution, there will always be a way out. One thing that you need to remember is that you, as parents have to get actively involved in your children’s effort to get into better shapes. If you just create some training regimen and expect that your children will follow along without you getting involved, then your plan will most likely fail.
For starter, the first thing that you can do is to reduce the amount of fat in the meals that you serve for your family. As you change your eating habit, your children will slowly follow along. In no time, your family should have a better and healthier eating habit.
After reducing the amount of fat, the next thing that you can do is to increase physical activity. Not only can exercise help you reduce the fat in you body, it can also improve your mental states and make your muscles firm. Of course, you should start off by dong some simple exercises like playing some outdoor activities with your children. This way, your children will have an easier time adapting to their new lifestyles. Then, as time goes, you and your children can slowly increase the physical activities.