Where Do We Start?

A wonderful question!!!   Everything begins and ends at home- literally, so that’s where we start.  Of course, we are going to hit elements outside of the home such as the educational system and our policy makers, but they are secondary and really small potatoes as they have already fallen short in this battle, so let’s forget them for now. 

Children, like anyone, will learn what they see and physically experience long before they will believe what they are told.   For instance…we say don’t jump on the bed.  Still, the kids will jump on the bed and it is only a matter of time before they learn that jumping on the bed can result in meeting the floor at a high rate of speed, and often in an inverted or awkward position.   It is at this magical moment that we learn landing on our feet is better than landing on our head or hip and begin to understand why we were told not to jump on the bed.  That’s when we truly learn. So we either heed suggestions or formulate safer methods for jumping on the bed such as lining the floor with pillows or cushions and moving nightstands out of the way.  No, no we are kidding…kinda.

Bottom line is that we need to start at home as kids will learn what they see and experience which means if healthy, active habits are practiced in the home, they will most likely and for the most part, be practiced outside of the home as well.   Habits are what we are interested in, not regimented timed activities which can easily lead to an inability to keep a schedule, a lack of interest, and a sense of failure when schedules aren't kept- all things we don't want .  Furthermore, we want our kids to be healthy all the time, not just every other day between 3 and 5 during scheduled exercise.  Habits however, are the things that define who we are and what we do and should be the focus of our efforts.    With all that, let's begin.   

     What we propose at slimthekids.com are small, but significant lifestyle changes designed to counteract the factors influencing a child's weight management problem.   However taking such steps do come at a cost- a cost of time and commitment on behalf of the parent, and rest assured it will not be easy as the older the child in question the greater will be the work required on your behalf as the parent.  On the other hand, if you as the parent are prepared for a little sacrifice, the problem can be beaten.     

        Step 1- Lead By Example

Kids will be what they see.  If you take walks, avoid driving whenever possible, engage in physical activity or sport for enjoyment or for maintaining a level of physical fitness, and choose an apple over a cheesy doodle, chances are your kids will as well.   Now, this does not mean you have to begin an exercise program to motivate your child.  That would help, especially if you did it with your child, but not even that is a requirement.  What is a requirement is to be an active part in the process- a motivational factor, an influence, a teacher...and in some cases, a partner.       

         Step 2- Provide the opportunity for healthy habits to develop

Take advantage of opportunities and never discourage an offer or opportunity to move.  "Not right now, I am too tired" is ok every once and a while, but taking this route as a parent only reinforces everything we don't want to reinforce and opens the door to those influences responsible for the creation of the initial problem.  Quite simply, we are either active or inactive, and we want more active and less inactive, which is not the case for most over-weight children.   

• Engage in activities as a family and don't be afraid of spontaneity.  Planning a family night is a great thing, but noticing that it's a beautiful night for a bike ride, or for taking a long and relaxing walk with the kids is a wonderful thing.  
• Try providing your children with daily or weekly age appropriate chores and encourage their help with yours if it is a practice you do not currently engage in.  It is rather amazing how many kids don't have to take out the garbage, assist with folding the laundry, or help with washing or drying the dishes after dinner.  Having your child help with the dishes after dinner is one of our favorites here at slimthekids.com as it gets kids up an moving after eating a full meal as opposed to the all too commonly practiced habits of sprawling out on the floor or sitting in the chair in front of the video console following a meal.   Aside from a great learning experience and opportunity for kids to build upon self-esteem, confidence, and develop a sense of contribution, having your children participate in the completing household chores is a fantastic way to get them up and moving and maybe even earning an income if you decide to provide them with an allowance for their work.  Did we mention the fact that as the parent, this strategy also might make your job of maintaining the home a bit easier?
• Expand the choices on your children's entertainment horizons.  Encourage things that make them move.  There are interactive physical board games, video games that require more than the thumbs to play, and countless activities and games that can be safely and inexpensively done in the home, on the porch, or in the back yard.  Our resident physical education teacher, T. Alan Brenner has given us a few great ideas you can do to get your kids up and moving using nothing more than your daily garbage and recyclables. and can be found at the bottom of this page.  By the way, the activities he has provided, as well as many he didn't, can also be found in his book, "The Childhood Obesity Dilemma" for which we have provided a link to on our home page if you would like to further your reading.   Also, be sure to check out our LEAN, MEAN, and GREEN Challenge, and see if you and your kids are up to the challenge.               

        Step 3- Remember We Are What We Eat 

We briefly mentioned dinner, but let’s discuss breakfast which is arguably the most important meal of the day.    What an interesting word, breakfast.  We generally say breck-fest but when we separate the compound word breakfast, we actually get “break” and “fast” as in “begin eating again” which is something a little different than we are used to.   Aside from not having the essential things we need to function properly, one of the problems associated with skipping breakfast is the snacking and munching that occurs throughout the day in an attempt to stop the rumbling and grumbling and cure the lazy dragging feeling that has set in from not having anything substantial to eat.   This is where the problem of indulging in high calorie snacks and "junk" food and quite possibly over eating at lunch or throughout the day will come into play.   Combine that with limited pe, recess, or a closed campus school day and we have a formula for disaster.  Snacking does not have to be a bad thing, so let’s not fight it.  The trick is to give them something good to snack on when they do want to snack instead of getting rid of the snack altogether.  We suggest trying the following snack ideas:

·             Avocados- High in fiber and contain oleic acid which is believed to assist with regulating levels of fat within the body as well as help control diabetes

·              Carrots and Cherries - Fantastic all around foods in that they can be served raw as well as cooked which make them ideal for snacks or meals.  Carrots are believed to assist with the cleansing of fatty deposits as well as assist with the removal of waste products.  

·             Orange-Yellow Melons and Fruits- Squash, Cantaloupe, and even peppers have been found to be rich in Beta-carotene and are believed to be highly beneficial for weight reduction.

·             Peanuts and Peanut Based Products- High in protein and what is considered to be healthy fat as well as a great source of essential minerals such as thiamin and potassium.

·             Whole Grains- Are high in fiber and great for lowering cholesterol and are found in a variety of foods such as brown or wild rice, oatmeal, and whole wheat flour products which along with peanuts, can be mixed into a granola-like snack perferct for munching.

 

            Step 4- Sleep, sleep, sleep.  

You snooze and you lose as many published studies have shown.  Unfortunately, sleep deprivation is not limited to those in the adult working world and is more common to children than most people would think. As one recently published study conducted by researchers at Northwestern University in Evaston, Illinois suggests, on average, children receive 30 minutes less sleep than is recommended for their age brackets and of those receiving an hour or more-less sleep per night than did their corresponding peers, tended to be five pounds heavier in weight.  Furthermore, it has been determined that 36 percent of children ages 3-8 who slept an average of 10 hours per night (2 or 3 hours less than recommended hours of sleep depending upon specific age) were overweight by middle school.   Of those children within the same age bracket who received one hour of sleep more per night or 11 hours of sleep total, the percentage of those children within the target population who were over weight by middle school decreased by one-sixth from 36 percent to 30 percent.

Where we go, when we eat, how we feel, what we do and when we do it is all dependent upon how much how and well we sleep.  Even how we feel about ourselves and how we see the world is affected by how we sleep.  From a physiological standpoint the lack of sleep can play havoc on our biochemistry as sleep deprivation has been implicated in a wide range of physical and emotional disturbances; many of which are cyclical in nature and serve as a springboard for future and compounding complications and even disease.  A leading theory thrown around by professionals in the field is that sleep deprived children have the tendency to gain weight due a fatigue-induced disruption of the chemical processes that govern appetite, metabolism, fat storage, and back around in full circle, sleep itself.  So what are we doing if we are not sleeping?  Sitting in front of the computer screen?  Munching things we shouldn’t be munching while we sit in front of the television?

·        11 to 13 hours a night for preschoolers

·        10 to 11 hours for children ages 5 to 12

·        No less than nine hours a night for teenaged kids