Fitness and Self Esteem in Kids

I know that whether you are a parent or not, if you watch television, listen to a radio, or read a magazine, you are very aware of the obesity epidemic in this country. What is shocking is the amount of children that are overweight. I did not begin struggling with my weight until my teenage years. I was not really into any special activities such as sports, or dance, but I was very active outside. My mom would make us go in the yard and play. Only having 3 channels on the television helped too. 😉 One friend of mine, who had struggled and has now found freedom from her weight, said she remembers having tummy aches all the time when she was little and no one could figure out why. Looking back now she says it was because she was eating herself sick even as a little girl, and her mother had no clue.

Our preschool stresses healthy eating, which I love. Only healthy snacks, only water to drink, etc. Yet they have a party for any little thing and there are sweets and junk food at every one. It seems that every Sunday school class, summer camp, or dance class she attends, she comes out with several pieces of candy, and God forbid she goes to Mimi and Pop Pop’s house. God love them, but they love to go sit on Pop Pops lap mostly because they know he has “stash”. I understand why they do this and am not legalistic about my children’s eating, but as I struggle to keep the balance in her life I am astonished that every time I turn around she has candy in her hand. So how do we help our children to not have these struggles in this “super size me” world?

The first and foremost way to teach our children healthy habits is to model them. For those of us who struggle with our weight this is extra difficult, because we first have to train ourselves. But as we move, so will they. The truth is my children would much rather be in the yard with me than sitting on the couch watching t.v., so take the time to do some yard work, or go for a short walk. If you get on the floor and stretch while watching t.v., so will they. They love to do the things mommy and daddy are doing. And what you are having to make a habit, and a new way of life, is becoming a natural part of their life.

Drink WATER! Begin to make the choice to drink the water at the dinner table instead of soda, or my favorite sweet tea. If you can’t do the water yet, I now make Splenda-decaffeinated tea. You can get used to it. ( I weaned myself by doing half sugar half Splenda, then 2/3 splenda and 1/3 Sugar, and so on) However their is no substitution for water, and the sooner your children get used to it the better. Especially if they drink a lot of juices or sodas, try replacing them with one glass of water a day, or milk. When I do give my children juice I will water it down. Again, like with the tea, start slowly, but I can now throw a splash of juice in with mostly all water and they love it. A new product, Minute Maid flavored water, is a great way to wean them. It has less sugar than any other flavored water I have seen, and is flavored only with pear juice. (Be sure to read the labels of those fruit waters, a lot of them have more sugar than you would think, and sugar dehydrates you on top of the other things it does to kids.) It also comes in those cool juice boxes so even my five year old thinks she has something special.

Get them moving! The truth is my children would much rather go on a walk or play in the yard than they watch television anyway. A family walk a few times a week will encourage so many things. From family time, no phones computers or t.v.’s, to exploring nature (Anna saw a cow a rooster, and several dogs and cats on our last walk), to establishing good habits to move their bodies. If they are older and they are involved in sports or dance, fantastic, but making movement apart of their life and fun is the way to keep it going long term. We are trying to plan activities such as hiking and such to make movement a fun part of our life.

Don’t make them join the “clean your plate” club. While our parents had good intentions in this, it has caused a lot of trouble. All of our bodies has a natural way of telling us when to stop eating, and if we make them ignore it then they stop trusting their bodies cues. I am still fighting to not clean my plate when I am full. If you feel they are not eating the healthy things, try cutting out their snacks for a few days. They will be hungry enough to eat. I tell Emily she has to take 2 bites of each thing, then whatever she wants to finish on her plate is fine.

Reinforce healthy life, not diets or exercise. Especially as they get older, you do not want to put pressure on them, or damage their self esteem by wanting them to go on a diet. But teaching them how to live a healthy lifestyle and living it with them will change their course. Ask your preteen or teen that you are concerned about if they will go on a walk with you and keep you company. Ask them to help you come up with some new healthy dinner ideas. This gets them to be creative and involved in their own healthy lifestyle, again, insuring they will live it longer.

These are only a few ways to help fight this problem, and while there is so much more that can be done and taught, these few things alone will make a dramatic difference in their life. Even if you only pick one thing from these few it will make a huge difference. Dr. Phil once pointed out that if you drank sodas everyday, and you only cut out one a day replacing it with water, you would loose at least ten pounds in a year. Only one soda a day can make that much difference in an adult, imagine what it can do in a child who’s metabolism and growth is so rapid. Even if your child, like mine, does not have a weight problem you are establishing habits now that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.