I talk a lot about the benefits of everyone being more physically active, and the advantages it has on your health. This shouldn't be news to anyone. We all know exercise is good for our health. As we get older it becomes more and more essential to keeping our muscles strong, and our body functioning effectively. But is physical activity just good for adults? I hope you know the answer to that is obviously “no.” Kids need exercise as well, and honestly, probably now more than ever. Physical activity used to be a natural part of childhood with being outside playing with friends, participating in sports, and recess and gym class at school. Unfortunately alternatives to exercise are more abundant as they’ve ever been, and schools are decreasing the opportunities for activity to increase class time which entails sitting at a desk. As adults we need exercise in order to maintains strong functional capacity. As kids we need exercise to develop this strong functional capacity. It is imperative to growth, and ensuring our bodies are healthy and efficient. Childhood obesity is on the rise, and has been a popular health topic over the last several years. One of the main contributors to this is lack of exercise. Kids are becoming so wrapped up in video games and electronic stimulation that they are missing out on the opportunities to allow their bodies to advance in the realms of physical fitness. Activity doesn’t need to be structured. When we get older we think we have to go for a run or hit the gym to get our “workout” in. When we were kids we didn’t run for exercise, we ran for play. We didn’t do pull-ups, we climbed trees. We didn't do dead lifts, we lifted up heavy rocks and tree trunks to see what was underneath. Think back to the activities you did when you were a kid, and now try to imagine how you would do with it today. We even say it all the time to our kids: “ I can’t keep up with you.” Kids are natural exercisers, and they have fun doing it. We as parents, aunts, uncles, etc need to make sure they constantly utilize this natural talent. I played my share of video games as a kid, but there was a time for it: if it was raining, or dark. Otherwise, I was playing sports or playing with friends. This should be a common occurrence for every child. Noting the the advantages to physical health is easy, and like I said, it’s something everyone realizes they should strive for. Another BIG thing I notice with my kids, is how being active drastically improves their mood. If we are stuck inside, they do nothing but fight. If they spend a lot of time in front of a screen, they are whiny and “bored” when we tell them to turn it off. Just today, it was a stormy afternoon and we were stuck inside. They could not agree on any game to play with each other while I was cooking dinner, and did nothing but aggregate each other on purpose. By the time we were done eating the storms had stopped for a bit, so I made them get their shoes on and we took a walk around the neighborhood with the dog, them on their scooters. As soon as we got outside, they were racing each other on their scooters, and dashing so far up the street I could barely see them. Then we got home and they each got their baseball gloves out and started playing catch with each other. There was a lot of running after the ball too with a 5 & 7 year old, thus leading to even more activity. Eventually the storms started rolling through again, forcing us back inside. BUT, this time Mason wanted to play me in chess, and Maria helped me move my pieces. Mason began trying to teach Maria how to play, and once the chess game ended, Mason and Maria played each other in checkers for so long they almost missed their time to watch a show before heading up to get ready for bed. Just that 30 minutes of getting outside and moving around and playing caused them to do a complete one-eighty with their mood and desire to play together, and drastically changed the trajectory of the evening. Being physically active has many positive effects in all human beings, young and old. Every adult knows they need to exercise, but not all kids realize they do too. It’s our job to promote an active lifestyle for ourselves and our children. In fact, using your kids as motivation to become more physically active could be the catalyst you may be missing. Take them hiking, riding bikes, play a sport or game, or volunteer to coach one of their teams. There is no reason you both/all can’t get the same exercise. It can be way more fun then going to the gym, AND you get to spend some quality time with those that matter most to you. I did not fill this article with any scientific facts, or cite any research studies that show how increased physical activity can positively affect your kid's health. I didn't think that was necessary, and was not my intent for this post. My hope is to simply highlight the fact that we may focus so much on how important it is for us to be healthy, that we may lose sight of the importance for our kids to be healthy as well. They learn from what we do, so setting the example at a young age will go a long way toward them adopting healthy habits as they grow. It is easy to throw kids in front of screen so we can squeeze our workout in or get meals together. But why not have them join you instead? Being physically active together can kill three or more birds with one stone. You get activity, they get activity, and you get to spend quality time with your kids. Does it get any better? I hope this provoked some thought on how you can ensure your children are getting enough physical activity in their day, and how it can be fun for all of you in the process. To conclude, I will leave you with a short piece of cinema Gold. Children indeed are our future, so let's help them have a happy and healthy one. Enjoy!
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We all know that it is better for our bodies and well-being to eat healthy foods. But what happens when we become so preoccupied with trying to be healthy, that we actually do the opposite? The term “diet” is used quite a bit as a label for a specific way of eating. There is the Atkins Diet, Sout Beach Diet, Trim Healthy Mama Diet, and the list could go on for a very long time. It seems as though once one diet is introduced, another one emerges claiming to be better than the last. The truth is, if you “diet” to lose weight, you’re going to be doing it your whole life. Adopting sustainable eating habits is the answer for long-term success, and not to mention enjoyment of eating. We all like to focus on what foods are "healthy" when deciding how we eat. Where the trouble arises is when people become so obsessed with eating a certain way, that they actually develop a disordered eating pattern. Yes, there is a difference between disordered eating and an eating disorder. We all know the terms/titles for the main eating disorders. What I just learned is a term for a specific type of disordered eating. This is called Orthorexia. Orthorexia is the obsession with healthy eating. Those who suffer from this form of disordered eating tend to have skewed dietary views and eating habits due to an obsession with being healthy. Being healthy should be a goal for everyone, but obsessing over it each time we eat is not healthy. I’ve talked a few times about developing a healthy relationship with food. If you feel you need to eat a certain way to live up to certain standards, or because it’s the “in” thing right now, that is not a healthy relationship with food. Eating should be enjoyable. If the process of eating for you is a stressful experience, then you may be heading down a dangerous path. If you want to read more on establishing a healthy relationship with food, check this out. linked below is the article I read that inspired this post. As I’ve previously stated, I am not an authority on nutrition, but I am a huge proponent of having the right mindset when it comes nutritional habits. I hope this topic is at least somewhat enlightening, as I fear this is an issue for many. If you are one who feels you may be headed down this path, I am always happy to open a conversation on ways to improve your mindset toward nutrition, while on your way to improved overall health and wellness. Orthorexia: When Healthy Eating Goes Too Far |
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