Overweight Children – Four Steps to Weight Control
Overweight children need parental guidance in establishing a nutritious diet combined with a healthy level of physical activity. Controlling weight in children can be challenging and often frustrating, but here are four steps to weight control that are highly effective and very doable.
Be patient and persistent but not overly stern or dominating in your approach. It’s not army boot camp.
Make it fun!
1. Be the Leader and Role Model
You can’t expect your child to follow a healthy diet and exercise regularly if you are glued to the TV munching on a jumbo sized bag of potato chips. Be motivational and provide a good dose of positive reinforcement to make exercise a fun activity for the whole family.
It is important to eat as many of your healthy meals as possible together, as a family, without distractions such as a blaring TV. This approach assures that the overweight child does not feel singled out and is not the main focus of attention.
An additional benefit to this approach is that it allows the family to interact much more closely, leading to strengthening of family bonds and resulting in a better understanding of each other. Read more…
Categories: Childhood Obesity Prevention Tags: healthy diet, nutritious diet, Overweight Children, physical activity, Weight Control
Childhood Obesity – 3 Fun Ways to Increase an Obese Child's Physical Activity
There are a lot of options to increase a child’s physical activity levels, and those of the family as well, in a fun and enjoyable way.
Here are 3 fun ways to increase children’s physical activity levels that can be tailored as you deem best for your family.
1. Household Chores
The mere mention of household chores sends everyone scurrying for cover. Believe it or not household chores can be fun. Here’s how:
On small pieces of paper jot down a chore and an exercise associated with it. Throw them into a bag or hat and have everyone pick one.
For example, if I get the bathroom, I may have to do four jumping jacks every few minutes, or if Johny gets to sweep or mop the kitchen floor he has to run in place for a minute every five minutes or whatever interval you decide on. The combinations are endless.
2. Family Workout Night
Pick an evening as the family workout night. Then each week have a different person put together a workout that the whole family will do together. Depending on the age of the child you may have to provide some guidance for coming up with a workout that covers the major muscle groups. Read more…
