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How To Be Proactive and Prevent Childhood Obesity
By Natalie Pyles
PreventionWhether your child is at risk of becoming overweight or currently at a healthy weight, you can take proactive measures to get or keep things on the right track.
- Schedule yearly well-child visits. Take your child to the doctor for well-child checkups at least once a year. During this visit, the doctor measures your child's height and weight and calculates his or her BMI. Increases in your child's BMI or in his or her percentile rank over one year, especially if your child is older than 4, is a possible sign that your child is at risk of becoming overweight.
- Set a good example. Make sure you eat healthy foods and exercise regularly to maintain your weight. Then, invite your child to join you.
- Avoid food-related power struggles with your child. You might unintentionally lay the groundwork for such battles by providing or withholding certain foods — sweets, for instance — as rewards or punishments. As a general rule, foods aren't recommended for behavior modification in children.
- Emphasize the positive. Encourage a healthy lifestyle by highlighting the positive — the fun of playing outside or the variety of fresh fruit you can get year-round, for example. Emphasize the benefits of exercise apart from helping to manage their weight, for example, it makes their heart, lungs and other muscles stronger. If you foster your child's natural inclination to run around, explore and eat only when hungry — not out of boredom — a healthy weight should take care of itself.
- Be patient. Many overweight children grow into their extra pounds as they get taller. Realize, too, that an intense focus on your child's eating habits and weight can easily backfire, leading a child to overeat even more, or possibly making him or her more prone to developing an eating disorder.
References: Mayo Clinic
Sincerely Your Friend In Health & Fitness,
Natalie Pyles
Fitness & Weight-loss Expert, Nutrition Specialist, Author & Speaker
About the Author:
Natalie Pyles is the owner & CEO of Fitness Elements & Associates LLC. She is a Fitness & Nutritional Expert, Wellness Coach, Author, & Speaker. Her website is WWW.MyfitnessElements.com. You can call her for a FREE Consultation at !
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