Site Search

3 Simple 'Fitness Parenting' Strategies to Help Eliminate Childhood Obesity

By Dr. Michael J. Norwood

3 Simple Strategies for Proactive 'Fitness Parenting'

Fellow parents, I'm extremely concerned about the onset of childhood obesity in our society. Aren't you? I'm concerned for the current and future welfare of our children because according to recent Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports, nearly two in three adults (many are parents) are either overweight or obese, and nearly one in three children are overweight or obese as well. Second only to cigarette smoking, obesity, in recent years, has become the leading cause of preventable death in the United States which translates into approximately 400,000 people needlessly dying every year due to illnesses associated with excessive body fat.

As a proud father of three delightful children (ages 5, 3 and 2), I fully understand that parenting in our modern society can be a tough job. Competition for our children's attention is stiff. It is estimated that the average child is exposed to nearly 10,000 food advertisements each year and that nearly 95% of those ads are either for sugared cereals (deemed 'a part of a nutritious breakfast'), fast fat-laden food, soft drinks or candy. No wonder childhood obesity is rampant & becoming a problem in every community across America.

Yes, the task of raising our children in a toxic-free environment is difficult, but not impossible. Here are a few simple strategies that can be used to keep your family healthy, happy and fit--strategies that will, no doubt, prevent & even eliminate the onset of childhood obesity:

  1. Eat Together! I know, I know, you're family's always so busy. For those of you who share this experience, I challenge you to design your ideal life.

    Despite the myriad of excuses, we can all envision our ideal daily eating rituals with our families and begin to create them. Start by planning at least one daily meal (e.g., dinner) that becomes your family's special occasion of quality time together. The structure you create will produce wonders for your family's development. Be sure to include your kids in the meal preparation process as much as possible. Our kids, even though they are still small, set the table, help make the meals, clear away the table and help with the dishes. Everyone feels connected and this is a wonderful way to wind down the evening after a busy day. Try this simple routine for a few weeks without exception and without excuse and notice the positive impact it will have on your family.

  2. Exercise the Power of Choice. Exercising your power as a parent to make supportive choices is the cornerstone for a healthy family. Read labels. Choose fruits, vegetables, lean proteins essential fats and complex carbohydrates over highly processed, chemically-preserved, growth hormone-enhanced, trans-fatty and genetically modified foods.

    Maintain a simple approach. As the decision maker in the home, if you don't bring a lot of garbage home to eat, and instead bring home healthy, tasty options, then your family will begin to learn to expect and appreciate the difference. Our children have learned to love Sweet Tomatoes, a soup and salad bar restaurant, far above any fast food option because the expectation created by me and my wife is that our family doesn't eat fast food, we fuel our bodies with healthy foods!

  3. Model Desired Behaviors. It's really no secret. The path to health and wellness entail straightforward steps: 1) eat well, 2) move your body often, 3) get proper rest and 4) minimize stress and great health is almost a guarantee.

    As proud, conscientious parents it behooves us to model these three simple steps to reduce the risk of childhood obesity for our children.

    If you don't make personal changes and improvements, you can't expect your children to make good healthy choices.

    Furthermore, mixed signals to your children yield mixed results. What happens when a parent who smokes tells their children never to smoke? I'm sure you know the answer: their message and credibility are diminished.

Slow down, take your time and be an effective fitness role model for your children. In the long run, not only will your child thank you for modeling positive behavior, but our society and health care system, at large, will thank you for raising healthy and happy kids.

Let's commit to reducing the incidence of childhood obesity in all of our communities by 'spreading the health' together for a brighter future for every child in America!

About the Author:

Dr. Michael J. Norwood, NSCA-CPT is the Founder and President of Dynamic Edge - The Peak Fitness Professionals, and is a highly sought after fitness and peak performance consultant specializing in teaching busy professionals and their families how to effectively incorporate fitness into their busy lifestyles.

He also helps athletes of all levels compete consistently in their ideal performance state by combining and applying his vast knowledge of sport-specific training and performance psychology to each training session. Visit: www.lasvegaspersonaltraining.com