One of the best ways to combat childhood obesity is to understand why it happens. The causes of childhood obesity can range from laziness to genetic disorders, but without fully understanding them, it’s all too easy to blame something or someone for our children’s current situation.
In my honest opinion, one of the biggest factors weighing on the current level of childhood obesity in our world is the concept of time and how that time is managed. I also think that for some, apart from this, it is laziness. In a world that has seen a great development of technology, we are presented with the concept that our youth have a high level of demand. Basically, this means that when they want something, they want it right away, regardless of the implications.
Without a doubt, this is noticeable through many factors in daily life, such as food, technology and relationships. Food has become a high-demand item, and we expect it to arrive within minutes of ordering, hence the advancement of fast-food chains that deliver food at a ridiculously fast rate to “please your customer” and, in turn, make a huge profit.
Technology has advanced to the point where we can download movies, games, music with the click of a button and it is instantly on our desktop ready to play. I do not remember that long ago my parents were afraid to think about such technology, however, in a few years they are now as dependent on the Internet as any other citizen of our country. When it comes to kids and technology, my two-year-old already knows how to handle my iPhone.
Relationships come and go, and these days, if someone isn’t “happy,” they’re more than willing to walk away and find something new. Gone are the days of “normal” when a couple worked hard on their marriage and divorce was unheard of. Today you can leave your spouse and take their belongings with you.
So you may think I’ve gotten a little off topic with all of this, but that’s how I think it all ties together. If you add the media and peer pressure to this equation, both of which we are faced with multiple times in a day, we are constantly bombarded with images, concepts, and ideals that promote “the next best thing.”
For a young child to see this day in and day out and process it in their mind, it is no wonder that we are faced with the challenges that are in front of us as an increasingly obese society. As parents, we can exert a positive influence on our children and overcome this problem, we just have to be aware that it actually takes time.
Work and time restrictions
As a single parent of a two-year-old, I am all too familiar with how tight time can be. Depending on the age of your child, there can be a number of variables that affect the daily routine, from educational commitments to sports commitments, long work hours, family events, illness, etc. In an age of fast-paced lifestyles, it’s hard to find ten free minutes to eat healthy, exercise, and promote this lifestyle to our children.
As parents, we have been given the opportunity to provide a quality life for our children, but this is something that we can lose sight of quite easily. Sure, we all love our kids, that’s for sure, but sometimes we forget the big picture and our routine can be hampered by unhealthy nutritional intake and lack of physical activity.
The reality is that our children’s early years are something we’ll never get back if we miss them, and it’s amazing how 10 minutes here or there can be a huge amount of information and influence on your lifestyle.
It really is very easy to sit ourselves or our children in front of the television and they will spend countless hours, but just a few minutes of that time outside in the park, walking the dog or teaching them how to cook can promote many positive ideas in their minds about lifestyles. active and healthy.
Fast Food and Processed Food
This goes hand in hand with work and time constraints and is a huge influence on our children’s development when it comes to active and healthy choices. Unfortunately, there are only a few days when we can’t cook a healthy home-cooked meal for our kids, and the easiest option is to stop by the many fast-food drive-ins on the way to netball, soccer, or football practice. However, what we don’t realize is the counterproductiveness of such an act, and how it is actually having a negative effect on our children’s development.
The common misconception is “my son/daughter is young and about to participate in his/her favorite sport, he/she will run out of what he/she just ate”. Surely when we look at the mathematical side of obesity, this is true, if you expel more energy than you consume, you shouldn’t gain weight. However, what is not taken into account is the large number of additives, chemicals and saturated fats that are included in these fast foods.
Our bodies are not built to digest such heavy substances, and the copious amounts of saturated fat contained in these foods are enough to cause permanent damage for life if we continue to make this a regular habit.
We are not only promoting that this type of food is okay, we are also promoting the idea that we can eat whatever we want as long as we do some kind of physical activity.
The truth is that we need a well-balanced nutritional intake, consisting of a variety of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, as well as nutrients and vitamins that our bodies depend on. This helps our body disperse its impurities and will lead to overall positive physical well-being.
For more information on the causes of childhood obesity, you can check out FitKidsOnline. FitKids Online is a site I have developed to raise awareness of these issues and educate parents on active lifestyles for children. As a father, as well as a personal trainer, the issue of childhood obesity is something that worries me a lot. If through FitKids Online I can help a single child to lead a healthier and more active lifestyle, then I can say that it has been a success.
Also available is FitKids Online’s FREE eGuide “A Jumping Start to Life” where we take a closer look at why childhood obesity is becoming an epidemic and how it appears to be a problem spiraling out of control at an accelerating rate. .
I hope this has been beneficial to you in one way or another, and has possibly opened your eyes to a problem that has gone unnoticed for many years. If you take a moment to look at fitkidsonline.co, I hope you’ll find some valuable information and I look forward to hearing your responses, questions and queries.