Mom's Fitness |
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Fitness in our house is a family commitment. We have chosen not to get cable or satellite television and instead have put our energies into physical activity, individually and as a family. My husband and I spend more quality time together and with our children. Soap operas, sports center, and cartoons have been replaced for the better good of the family. My children read, play board games and do more physical activities. This sacrifice was a family decision four years ago. Obesity
Among Children Excessive time spent watching television, using the computer, and playing video games is partly to blame for this escalating rate. Children, on average, spend up to five to six hours a day involved in these sedentary activities. Perhaps it wouldn't matter if they were sufficiently active at other times, but most of them aren't. To make matters worse, children are bombarded with well-crafted TV ads from fast-food chains and other purveyors of high-fat, high-sugar meals and snacks. A recent study reported that two-to-six-year-olds who watch television are more likely to choose food products advertised on TV than children who do not watch such commercials. These highly effective advertising campaigns, combined with a physically inactive lifestyle, have produced a generation of kids who are at high risk for obesity-associated medical conditions. The major health threat is the early development of Type 2 diabetes (adult onset), particularly in children with a family history of the disease. Doctors are reporting a surge in young adolescents developing Type 2 diabetes – which can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease, stroke, limb amputations, and blindness. People who develop diabetes in adolescence face a diminished quality of life and shortened life span, particularly if the disease progresses untreated. It's a scary prospect for our children but, in many cases, obesity and diabetes are preventable. What
Parents Can Do Parental involvement remains the most important key to our children's healthy diets. Programs to educate parents about nutrition are essential. Fast foods should be consumed only in moderation. Caregivers, who are often busy and harried, must avoid the temptation to whisk their kids into fast-food restaurants or to pick up fast food for dinner at home. Changing eating habits and lifestyles is not easy, but the health benefit for our children is a wonderful payoff for parents willing to take on the task. Here are important things parents can do to curtail the obesity epidemic among children: •
Limit TV viewing and time on the computer to one or two hours per
day. Click
here: Fitness
and Kids-Exercise equipment, youth sports training, exercise videos
and more! Holidays
bring special family activity times. We call them traditions. Here
are some of our traditions and ideas. Here's
a Magical Christmas Star with a tradition old and true Now and everyday until Christmas find someone in your home and secretly do a deed of love your identity won't be known. And
when the secret act is done place the star upon their bed. They
in turn And
like the star so long ago lit the sky for all to see Here
is a cute craft idea I read from Family Fun Magazine. Materials: *Use the thumbtack to poke holes for arms and legs 1 inch from the top and 1/2 inch from the bottom of card. Arms-fit the ends of one pipe cleaner through the upper holes from the back of card. Fit the other pipe cleaner through the lower holes for legs. Bend the ends to shape feet. For head, cut a heart out of construction paper. Glue on googly eyes and draw a nose and mouth. Then, glue the head to the card. Finally, wrap one arm around the lollipop. Write a message on a mini card and slip it in the card's free hand. On
Valentine's Day, I like to paint hearts on both my daughter's and
my own fingernails. Check back and I will have new ideas for Easter. |
First
of all let me tell you how proud I am of you for wanting to be a
Fit Mom. I know it is hard enough to get our kids to school, soccer
games, basketball practice, dance lessons and youth groups and then
to have time to fit in time for ourselves. Doing this is extremely
important if we want to be good Moms. Not only do we function better,
have more energy, look good and set a good example when we are taking
time for fitness in our lives but we will feel much less stressed.
As I said we are a good example to our kids and it is important
to keep fit and eat healthy. As you know our kids are watching what
we do. I have noticed a change in my kids in what they eat. They
are constantly asking me "Mom, is this a protein, is it a vegetable,
is it good for me"? The other day I offered my little boy who
is in 3rd grade an ice cream cone at McDonald's and he turned me
down, telling me that he had already had his dessert for the day
(a cinnamon roll at school). Wow!, was I not only surprised, but
impressed with his choice. I think it is important to explain to
our children that a diet does not have to be a plan to lose weight,
but a way of eating that is healthy. 
On
Sunday, when I make up a portion of my meals for the week, I also
cut up fresh vegetables and fruit and put them in Ziploc dishes
in my refrigerator for my kids to snack on. There are always cheese
squares, yogurt, cottage cheese, sugar free Jell-O, pudding and
fruit juice popsicle to choose from in my refrigerator or freezer.
In the cupboards there are crackers, pretzels, bread sticks, flavored
rice cakes, granola bars and popcorn for my kids to choose from
for snack time. As examples of what I like to have on hand for me
and my husband, I try to have such things as cut up strips of chicken
cooked on the George Foreman Grill (which I could not live without),
steamed brown rice and vegetables, all the salad mix and veggies
to go in, fat free dressings (I love the Lighthouse brand) tuna
and salmon. Having this food prepared on Sunday makes it much easier
to prepare the meals during the week and it also supplies healthy
snacks to have on hand. It really does make staying on track and
eating healthy a lot easier if when you prepare the food ahead of
time.
Another
suggestion is to take a small cooler with you to have in the front
seat if you are as busy a Mom as I am and seem to be always on the
go. I pack the cooler in the morning when I make my kid's their
lunches. I usually put my rice and chicken mixed together (like
a rice bowl) and a protein bar, rice cakes or plain popcorn in there
to give me a meal and a snack. That way if I can't get home I don't
have to stop at a fast food place or go without a meal. Hope these
suggestions will help keep you on track and give you some new ideas.
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