We have the highest rate of youth and child obesity today than ever before in the long history of the world. Much of this is due to the fast food, low energy we have become. Most of the time we feel it is safer to keep our children indoors than to go out and roam outside. The things we do to protect our children actually harm the health of our children.
Yet there are things that are being done to address the problem and get our children involved, active, and better educated about the right choices regarding nutrition, nutrition, fitness, and overall health. The problem for most teens is to remove it from the computer, the phone, or the television set long enough for it to work.
Even video games get into the act of raising children and work on creating games like Play Station 2's Dance Party Revolution and the new Nintendo Wii gaming system that seems to be on the market. These systems allow consumers, to participate more fully in a self-sacrificing game rather than sit down and play a game in a stable environment. It's a great way to get young people out of their seats and work. These games are also fun for adults and will have the same effects when it comes to work. Who would have thought that we would actually promote the sport?
Get Out and Work
Young people learn by example and whether they care about it or not, they usually enjoy doing things as a family. Go for a stone wall or climb a mountain. Go cycling as a family. Camp through the main doors and hike in the mountains, take a boat ride, or ride a bike again. Read the new game together. It's amazing how much fun you can have to learn how to dive with scuba and while you are in it, none of you will be eating empty calories. Even if the game you are playing does not involve a lot of physical activity you may be much more busy than sitting in front of the TV.
Get your child to join a recreational sports team. We have all kinds of sports teams available in our community where our youth can join. Even those who have absolutely no skills can join and play in other leagues while other leagues compete. Going out for a softball game, a soccer game, and even volleyball can be a great way for the family to do something together and games and routines are opportunities for your child to work.
Grass work is another way to get out and work with your child. The key, as always, is your teenager who burns more calories than consumers. It is usually easier said than done but it is possible if you work to get them out and go. However, find things that will be of interest to your child and focus on those things rather than on the tasks at hand that are totally uninteresting (perhaps not a yard job). In any case, filling their time with activities also allows for a time when they do not consume calories and that is something to consider.
Encourage your child to eat healthy food. Remove calorie-laden soaps, fruit juices, and energy drinks from your pantry shelves, and encourage your teens to drink plenty of water each day. Introduce as many vegetables as possible to your teen's diet and discard simple pre-packaged items that teens are known to consume at once. And having your teens actively involved in preparing and refining your food will help them to pay more attention to the things they put in their mouths and to the pollution they cause in the process.
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