Living A Healthy Lifestyle To Fight Obesity

Lifestyle choices that led to obesity in children and adult alike are convenience and electronic entertainment. It is a different world out there and it shows around the waistline. The advent of interactive video games, computers and watching television screen has brought kids inside after school rather than being outside playing. Kids now exercise less and eat more.

Kids now spend more than five hours a day on the average watching television or playing video games. Sitting in front of a monitor of any kind encourages mindless eating of unhealthy snacks. Quite often kids are left at home while their parents are working longer hours. Parents want their kids safe inside in a society that seems increasingly more dangerous for kids to be outside. That means they are in the house for hours, getting no exercise. It is recommended that kids get at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day

Tighter Economy
Jobs and money is always going to be an issue with parents, especially when the economy is tight. We have to pay bills to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. Parents are working longer hours, and as a result, are feeling
overwhelmed, grabbing as much downtime as they can at home.

In other words, all parents want to do when they finally get home after a long day at work is rest. Kids are less likely to exercise when they have parents who don’t participate in some sort of physical exercise on a regular basis. Each evening when the parents come home and plop down in front of the television is another opportunity missed to help their child fight obesity.

In this era of economic recession, jobs and money is going to be an issue with parents to put food on the table and pay bills to keep a roof over our heads.

Reward System
We like to reward our kids when they do something well. When foods such as sugary treats are given as a reward, it inadvertently encourages obesity. Children will always strive to win any reward, but when the reward is chocolate cupcakes, the thrill of doing well is associating with a food treat. This food-equals-approval will be confusing later when their weight gain can lead to ridicule.

Turning it Around
Get moving. When you are tired, get your body moving and you will increase your energy. This may seem like a trick, but it’s not. Once you get started walking, bicycling, swimming, or even playing hopscotch, endorphins are produced in your body, uplifting your mood. That fatigue and tired feeling will begin to fade away.

Exercise as a family. Pick an activity that everyone likes to do and get started. Kids are influenced by their parents. If you get on board with a daily exercise routine, your kids will begin to see exercise as a fun part of daily life. They will reach less and less for those video games and more for the door. Over time, you can increase your intensity or change your activity. Children will develop healthy habits and get in shape; a habit that will last a lifetime.