4 Obesity Factors: Are You Helping To Make Your Children Fat?
I don't want to lay a guilt trip on anyone
, but for me, one of the saddest things I see going about my day in modern America is an obviously obese child whose parents haven't even seemed to accepted the fact their child has a problem. Still eating whatever they want and being lazyI can only wonder what type of future a child like this has to look forward to. Obesity is alarming enough when one looks at the rates of death attributed to related diseases, but when the epidemic hits our young populations, it's nothing short of a crisis.And it's time to do something about it.
Even if you have let your child grow obese, I'm not asking you to beat yourself up about it. I am, however, asking you to do something about it, and even if your child is not dangerously overweight, it may be time to consider the habits you are teaching them.
Let's go over some of the major contributing factors to obesity in today's children.
1. Technology
Technology has changed, and improved, our lives in many different ways. Not all of these ways are bad, but you can definitely say that technology has succeeded in making our lives easier. So easy, in some cases, that we have become lazy and don't have to "try" at much of anything anymore as we go through the day. Another obvious way technology impacts obesity is the way we entertain our children. It's extremely easy to plop kids in front of a screen these dayssuddenly you have a very cheap babysitter on autopilot. Unfortunately, that means your children have to put as much effort into their entertainment as you do, and that's not doing them any favors on the physical plane.
2. "Distracted Parenting"
With almost all homes living on a double income these days, just to survive, parents are as stretched thin as can be possible. Most of us know what our kids needwe just don't have enough hours in the day to do what we already have scheduled, let alone get them outside and active. Hence the virtual babysitters and meals on the go.
Listen, I know what it's like to struggle for a better life, and it's a worthy endeavor, but sometimes taking a little less in income in order to make sure kids get the attention they need is what a parent must do. Take a look at how you could change your lifestyle to provide a better upbringing for your childrennot enough parents are doing it these days.
3. Dangerous Eating Habits
The Western diet also plays a huge role in obesity, both for us and our children. Sugar, saturated fat, simple carbsthey are taking a huge toll on our bodies. Not to mention that most children vastly overeat, and this is one of the most damaging things a human being can do to their body.
4. Poor Role Models
If we live an unhealthy life, our children are likely to do the same. And most of us are living very unhealthy lives. We eat garbage food. We don't get enough exercise, if any. We expose ourselves to trash entertainment. And we run around all day, stressing out about the most mundane things in an insane effort to get everything right.
If you want your children to be healthy and make healthy choices, you need to start making healthy choices of your own. Teach them to follow in your footsteps, and teach them why they do it.
Look at any diet and exercise plan and they all say the same things. Eat less. Eat more greens. Exercise more. None of this is rocket scienceand we all know what needs to be done. Make sure your children learn what needs to be done as well, and even more important, make sure they act upon that knowledge.
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