"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving."
--Albert Einstein
Happy New
Year!
While enjoying a workout and pool time at New
Albany, Indiana's YMCA on January 1st with my brother and nephew, I asked Jennifer,
one of the Y's fitness staff, for her advice for parents. She answered, “Make a fitness plan with your
children and set goals that are achievable.”
She encourages parents to engage in physical activity/play with their
children in simple ways such as taking family walks or playing basketball
together.
While talking with Jennifer, she and I discovered that we both have observed how often
parents set one standard for themselves and another for their children. The example she gave is where parents make a
point to eat a salad every day with fresh fruits and vegetables, never thinking
about eating fast foods themselves, but do not hesitate to regularly buy their
kids highly processed foods loaded in added sugar, salt, and fat.
Recently, I
spoke with a parent at the Vero Beach Farmers Market and she told me what she
tells her children is that they, like she, have to eat a salad every day. She has set an expectation for her children
and has told them why it is important that they make fresh vegetables and
fruits a part of their daily foods.
Every parent can set SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic,
and time-specific) with your children.
Here is an example of a SMART fitness goal: “For the month of January, once during the week
and once on the weekend, our family will take a 20 minute walk together after
dinner in our neighborhood.” Everything
in this goal is specific (what and who), measurable (how often), achievable (we’re
talking only 40 minutes a week), and time-specific (a one month goal).
Physical
activity is key to maintaining a healthy weight, having a good attitude, and
managing stress. Being physically active
is a healthy habit from which we all benefit.
According to
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, childhood obesity is a serious
problem in the United States putting kids at risk for poor health. Despite recent declines in the prevalence
among preschool-aged children, obesity amongst all children is still too
high. In 2011-2014, for children and
adolescents aged 2-19 years, the prevalence of obesity has remained fairly
stable at about 17% and affects about 12.7 million children and
adolescents.
This year’s
Wellness Wednesdays will be filled with new lessons for parents inspired by the children
served by Growing Healthy Kids, Inc. Our
mission is preventing, halting, and reversing childhood obesity and
obesity-related diseases such as diabetes. Our focus is
improving the health – and lives – of America’s children, one child at a time.
Wishing you
and your family a year of joy, happiness, love, achievable goals, and, of course, great food and
physical fun!
With love
and gratitude,
Nancy L.
Heinrich, MPH
Founder,
Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.
