Childhood Obesity

Parents Blame Inactivity for Children’s Obesity
Anna Montage, Health and Wellness Editor

A recent poll found that most parents feel inactivity is the major cause of obesity in children. It makes sense; kids today have far less built-in physical activity in their daily activities. Many children take the bus or are driven to school and they also spend a good amount of time in front of the TV or video games each day. To make matters worse, many schools have cut out recess and physical education classes. Some neighborhoods aren't safe for children to run around and play...

Solution for childhood obesity
The best solution for preventing (and treating) childhood obesity is to try to make exercise a part of kids’ daily routine, even from as young as 1 or 2 years old. This way children learn to enjoy healthy physical activity and it will easily become a life long habit. There are many things you can do to encourage exercise and healthy activity.

Make exercise a fun family activity
Everyone needs to exercise and families need to spend quality time together, so why not exercise together? Some of my happiest childhood memories are of family bike rides, nature walks, hikes and picnics by the lake. So next time you are thinking of taking your kids to a movie, arcade or other some other sedentary activity, why not do something physical instead? Here are some ideas:

• Go for a family bike ride and have a healthy picnic
• Go swimming at the beach, local pool or lake
• Go ice-skating together
• Play a ball game in your local park
• Checkout some hikes or nature walks in your area
• Go for a family walk after dinner
• Do yoga together

Healthy indoor activities
If the weather is not conducive to getting outdoors or if your busy schedule makes it hard for you to walk your children to school or exercise together, there are still things you can do to encourage exercise and healthy activity.

Get your kids into yoga
Yoga is another great way to teach children to be active – even when they’re indoors. Yoga is a fun, noncompetitive sport that kids naturally enjoy, especially when it comes to imitating their favorite animals. Not only is yoga a great way to exercise their growing bodies but it also helps them:

• Develop, co-ordination and balance
• Improve their ability to focus
• Foster creativity
• Deal with stress
• Develop a sense of calm and inner fulfillment
• Build self-esteem and confidence.

Yoga reduces chances of childhood obesity
Yoga increases bodily awareness so your kids will be less likely to overeat and more likely to be attracted to healthier foods and activities. By helping to relieve stress, yoga also helps prevent stress-related overeating.

Make their favorite activity a healthy one
Children love cartoons; they also love to read, dance, sing, play card games and do fun activity books. Wai Lana has taken kids’ favorite activities and turned them into a positive way to nurture a life long attraction to health, yoga and fitness. Her popular Little Yogis line entertains kids and – most importantly – gets them to exercise in a way they love!

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