If your family is overweight and at risk for obesity-related illnesses
such as diabetes, heart problems, high blood pressure, etc., you may be
able to make a big difference in their health with a few simple
changes: 1. Turn
off the TV. Many families turn on the TV as soon as they get up in the
morning, and don�t turn it off until everyone goes to bed. Why live
your lives through TV characters? Except for homework, limit your total
�screen time� (TV, computer and video games) to no more than 2 hours a
day, and use the remaining time to be active. You don�t necessarily
have to play sports or work out, but take a walk, rake leaves, play
with the dog, or just stay inside and clean house, put on some music
and dance, have a pillow fight, etc. The main thing is to keep moving
instead of being couch potatoes.
2. Make
water your family�s beverage of choice. Too much juice, too many soft
drinks, or too much beer can make everyone fat. You don�t have to ban
all other beverages from your life, just save them for outside the home
on special occasions--and even then, drink regular size instead of
super-size. Make sure juice is 100% natural, and limit it to one
6-ounce glass a day.
3. Limit
fast food or pizza delivery to once a week. I know you are tired after
working all day or running the kids around to all their activities, but
fast food is a fast track to obesity. Cheeseburgers, French fries, and
giant drinks are loaded with calories and fat. Have your own �fast
food� with pre-washed, bagged salad greens, and pre-cut fruit and
veggies. Frozen crock pot dinners can be started in the morning;
prepared meat loaves or other prepared meat dishes can be cooked
quickly in the microwave. Frozen vegetables only take a few minutes to
cook. Sit down at the table to eat, and get to know each other.
4. Make
sure everyone gets enough sleep. Studies have shown definite
connections between too little sleep and obesity. Children need at
least 9-11 hours; adults usually need 7-8 hours. When you don�t get
enough sleep, you are often too tired to exercise, too groggy to
concentrate at work or school, and less apt to eat breakfast. Which
brings me to point 5:
5. Never
skip breakfast! Forget about doughnuts, toaster pastries, and
pre-sweetened cereals. Instead, have 1-minute oatmeal or cold cereal
that is not pre-sweetened, along with a piece of fruit or some berries.
Prepare hard boiled eggs while you clean up after dinner, and
refrigerate for a quick breakfast. Natural peanut butter on whole wheat
toast or bread is quick and nutritious. Grab a glass of fat-free milk
and go!
You don�t
even have to diet! Just make the above changes, and you will soon see a
big difference in the health and weight of your whole family!
Keywords: Dieting, weight loss, children's obesity, childhood obesity
About the Author
Bev Grey, Indianapolis, Indiana USA
info@grandmashealthykidsclub.com
More Details about Obesity
here.
Bev Grey is founder of Grandma's Healthy Kids Club, an in-home program
to motivate children and adults to improve their eating and exercise
habits or lose weight safely through age-appropriate membership
packages. She is also author of "The Project", a fictional story for
children and educators or medical professionals who work with children.