Causes of Childhood Obesity and How to Avoid Them

-One of the more prominent causes of childhood obesity is good old mom and dad.

Yes, it's true our children learn a good part of all their behavior and develop future habits from their parents, relatives and friends, especially when they are very young. Their eating habits are no different, in fact healthy eating habits or the lack thereof, more than any other behavior...starts at home.

-If you allow your children to dictate the rules, the results will not be good.

They certainly will not always do as you ask, but monkey see, monkey do. If fruits and vegetables and other healthy foods are a staple in the home, they'll pick up on it. That's not to say we need to eliminate all the goodies, we all need those from time to time. We just need the basic framework to be in place

Other Causes of Obesity

Unhealthy eating habits learned at a young age, while certainly a root cause of obesity for some kids, is not the sole cause for many others. Physical inactivity is also a large contributor in many children. Video games and obesity unfortunately can often go hand-in-hand.

With all the unbelievably realistic video games, movies, and constant new additions in electronic devices, it can be tough to get off the couch, for adults as well as for the kids.

How to Escape the Effects of Childhood Obesity

Well, number one of course is to set a good example. They learn from you, so do your best to show them the importance of physical activities, and how much fun they can be. Take the family biking, camping or hiking or even just a walk. Any number of fun physical activities should be a regular part of the family routine.

While it's true that many children are picky eaters, they learn from us what is healthy and what they should be eating. To avoid the causes of childhood obesity, the rules of healthy eating and the importance of a balanced healthy diet must start young, and the sooner the better.

If your child is overweight, let them know they are loved and appreciated no matter what. If they eat healthy and continue to be physically active, they'll grow up healthy and happy and the weight will usually stabilize. If not, it's all the more important our kids know that they have our acceptance and approval.

Where to Start?

-Again, show them how much fun being physically active can be, the key word being "fun". Children should get a minimum of 1 hour of physical activity each and every day. Shut off the computer and take them to the park or ball field if you have to!

-Limit television and computer time, it's really a must these days.

-Make sure to provide a balanced healthy diet for the family, and keep plenty of healthy snacks on hand so when they do get hungry, and you know they will, the right stuff is available and handy. A bowl of apples, oranges and believe it or not, even carrot sticks will disappear fast when young stomachs growl.

-Eat meals at home and as a family as often as you can, where you can guide their food choices to healthy ones.

-Don't allow foods or snacks of any kind when watching TV. If the kids need a snack, eat it in the kitchen, a habit that will serve them well in the future. Never use food as punishment for your child's bad behavior, or as a reward for good behavior, it sends the wrong message.

-Avoid all sugary drinks if possible, encourage water as the drink of choice. It will save their teeth, their waistlines, and your pocketbook...not to mention their health!

The habits that are formed by our kids as children, will follow them throughout their lives, try to make them healthy habits.

Remember that 70% of all overweight or obese adolescents will become overweight or obese adults!

http://www.health-stories.org/balanced-diet-for-kids.html deals with a wide range of health and fitness issues, from obesity and
a balanced diet for kids -to a simple, healthy eating plan we can all feel good about.

*Copyright: You may freely republish this article provided the text, author credit, the active links and this notice remain intact.

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3 Benefits of Keeping Kids Active and Avoid Childhood Obesity

3 benefits of keeping kids active and avoid childhood obesity because the rates of childhood obesity has increased in the age of convenience. Everyday my life requires me to interact with children, whether they are mine or others. Most people in my community and my friends for that matter all call me Coach. That's because I coach baseball, basketball, flag, football, tackle football and any other sport if there aren't enough volunteers.

Besides coaching sports, I am a substitute teacher. When substituting, I try to keep the kids active even if it's not a physical education class. Literally, my goal is to keep their heart rate up because they risk obesity due to inactivity. I do this through stretching and chair exercise if we are in a class room. Some don't like it, but most do because it's different.

If you have kids, many times you'll see them bouncing around like a new deer, because they are so full of energy. On the other hand, we as adults get lazy and start thinking about how soon we can sit down in front of the TV and become mesmerized. This is a contributing factor to the rise in adult obesity.

How many times have you had a kid come up to you and ask "will you play with me?" Don't pass up these opportunities.

There is a threefold benefit here:

You are keeping them active, therefore they are get essential exercise for both physical and mental well being.You as the adult are being active and getting needed exerciseYou are building a lifelong memory by being active with the child he or she will love you for

Even if it isn't your child, that's okay; because, you are being a role model. Have your child bring a friend, chances are they may have a parent that should get active as well. This will help bring them into the fold. Living in an age of electronics, it's too easy to become physically inactive.

Currently, Doctors are recommending that kids as well as adults get 30 minutes of exercise per day. This doesn't have to be 30 minutes all in one setting. I can be broken up into two 15 minute segments or three 10 minutes segments. As your activity level increases this won't seem like much time at all. It will be over before you know and you'll be yearning for more.

So my dear friend, If you are asking yourself are there more than 3 benefits of keeping kids active to avoid childhood obesity? I would urge you to consider the three benefits above and for more visit my website http://squidoo.com/7-steps-to-stop-obesity-overweight-problems-for-fat-kids there you will find 7 elements that are crucial, so I urge you to click to my site right now.

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5 Simple Strategies to Help Your Kids Avoid the Slow Slide Into Obesity

The childhood obesity epidemic is worldwide so we shouldn't feel all alone here in North America. However, our lifestyle habits here do seem to spread worldwide and cause problems. So it pretty much goes without saying that it is up to us to begin to turn this pattern around and we can all take part. It will start with individuals, spread to families, then to our children's generation. It took us a couple of generations to get into this trouble and it will take us that long to get out, but it can be done.

Here are 5 simple strategies to help you set the course for success and family health and wellness.

1. Set the example. I hope you didn't think I was going to say you could just sit back and it would happen. If you are not accustomed to movement on a daily basis this may be a challenge, but what better reason to make a change than for the health and well being of your whole family. Start with small changes if this is difficult for you, like a walk together for 15 minutes after work or in the evening. When you take them to the park, take part. Don't just stand at the bottom of the slide and catch them. Play tag, run the bases, climb the bleachers, play hide and seek.

2. Move as a family. If you start the habit of doing fun activities together as a family when your children are young, they will come to expect it. That will help you in the long run because the children will be asking what the plan is for the next activity or they won't hesitate to ask to do something in particular. The most fit families I know are the ones who spend a lot of time together being active. It isn't always organized or competitive activities. It may be as simple as hiking on a favourite trail with a picnic snack or spending time at your local park, beach or pool. Just start the tradition.

3. Pre-plan some family activities. This may seem pointless to you but the idea is that your family have something to look forward to. When the whole family knows that you are going to be doing a particular pre-planned activity on the weekend then you can build the excitement and anticipation, not to mention using it as a leverage tool for co-operation throughout the week. Make sure this is done positively rather than in a threatening way. Solicit their help and support through the week with the reminder of what you all have to look forward to.

4. Assign family chores.It is not considered child labour if you teach and expect your children to make beds, put dirty clothes in the laundry, put clean laundry away, set and clear tables or load dishwashers, just to name a few. General clean up and keeping things tidy along with outdoor chores such as filling leaf bags are all suitable for young children. Yes it takes time to teach them the skills but they are life skills they will need someday. Think about it. Left quietly on their own many 2 and 3-year-olds can do fiendishly intricate tasks so channel their energies into something that is helpful for everyone. If they know their help is required in order for the family to do some fun things together there shouldn't be too much difficulty. Set the bar at a level they can reach and you will all soon have success.

5. Swap some poor nutrition habits for good ones. Typical poor food habits are junk food and caffeine. If this is one of your weak spots try making a deal with your kids. If you expect them to give up sugary glasses of juice throughout the day (even 100% juice can be high in sugar) and switch to water sometimes, then perhaps you could agree to swap the same number of caffeinated drinks (including colas and energy drinks) for water. The same could go for junk food. Make a swap. Plan it, agree to it, set the example and follow through. You are aren't eliminating it altogether in one fell swoop but making easier, gradual change.

Lainey Robbins has owned a private home daycare since 1993. Over the years she has created simple systems that follow a simple methods, (mainly K.I.S.S. - keep it super simple) and it has worked without fail so she has decided to develop a website to market items and ideas to promote kids health and fitness. Check out http://www.fitkidsandfood.com/ and stay tuned for the soon to be completed ebook.

Original article