Dealing with Childhood Obesity
Experts tell us that overweight or obese children have reached epidemic proportions. If you spend your childhood being obese then there is a very good chance you will spend your adulthood being obese. Our children could end up as adults facing problems such as heart disease, high blood pressure, depression and poor self esteem. These are problems we do not want our children to have to deal with.
How can help our kids reach their ideal weight and live a healthy lifestyle? First off, remember that your child did not become obese quickly nor will they reach their ideal weight quickly. Take a long term approach – healthy lifestyles develop slowly over time and remember that your kids watch you and learn – Some of your lifestyle habits may need to change during this process. If you are living an active healthy lifestyle it will make it much easier to teach your kids. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Limit the amount of time your child can watch television – Take a walk after dinner and don’t turn the TV on until 8:00 pm.
Likewise, limit the video games and look into some of the new “active” video games such as dance dance revolution or ddr. These games allow your child to move while they play.
Remember to reinforce a good food choice or exercise with positive feedback.
Limit snacking and make available healthy snacks.
Keep tabs on whether or not your child is eating at a friends house or being exposed to food advertising away from home.
Keep only healthy foods in your house – eliminate temptation
Encourage outdoor activity and team or individual sports
Purchase your child a bicycle and ride with them
Consult with your doctor
Talk to your doctor about your child’s eating habits. Discuss your healthy eating plan with your doctor to ensure there are no nutritional gaps in your plan. Your child needs optimal nutrition during developmental years. Try to avoid the word “diet”. Eating healthy can be delicious, fun, and make you feel good.
As you look for more information on dealing with your child’s obesity – keep in mind you are looking for resources that promote health and well being above all.
Bill Herren is the webmaster for weightloss-articles.com Everything weight loss related! Weight loss success stories, product reviews, exercise articles, weight loss recipes, and diet articles. All Free and all designed to help you lose weight!
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Prejudice and Obesity – Have You Been a Victim?
It’s a sad comment on human nature that prejudice and obesity go hand in hand. Ask any person who has battled with obesity and they’ll be able to reel off a list of examples.
It begins at school, where some children have a knack of singling out anyone who’s different from the rest for bullying and taunting. Children who are more overweight than their classmates are easy targets.
If they also happen to be of a different ethnic background from the majority of their classmates, their lives can become especially unpleasant.
Sadly, this attitude does not end when the child leaves school. Research has shown that prejudice and obesity is very much a fact of life in the workplace.
–The Sad Story of Mr X–
In a society obsessed with unrealistic ideals of how we should look, overweight job applicants have an especially tough time breaking into the job market. A typical story of prejudice and obesity in the workplace goes like this…
Mr X applies in writing for a job. The company replies positively to his letter by asking for a more detailed resume.
Then, Mr X receives an enthusiastic phone call asking him to come in for an interview. It’s clear from the tone of the call and various other hints dropped by the caller that the interview is really just a formality, that Mr X is clearly the best qualified candidate.
But all this changes come the day of the interview. The members of the interview panel refuse to meet Mr X’s eye. The questions they ask are cursory. They shuffle and fidget when he speaks. It’s obvious they’re simply going through the motions.
When he leaves they shake his hand and thank him with enthusiasm bordering on relief. A week later he receives a form letter in the mail regretfully informing him that he was unsuccessful in his application.
Mr X is not surprised. He’s gone through this charade a dozen times before.
Prejudice and obesity have an even more unpleasant face when they’re paired with ethnic stereotypes – the grown up version of schoolyard taunts.
We’ve all heard the jokes about women of certain ethnic backgrounds ballooning after they’ve had children. They’re mild compared to some of the other, supposedly funny, stories doing the rounds.
You can help to lift the lid on the scourge of obesity related prejudice.
Were you bullied as a child because you were overweight? Have you experienced prejudice in the workplace? Have you been the butt of an ethnic/obesity related joke? Or perhaps you’ve got an inspiring story about how you’ve overcome negative perceptions. Maybe you’re a counsellor or website publisher with important insights. Visit obesitycures.com/prejudice-and-obesity.html and share your experience or advice. You could make a difference.
Alan Cooper is a journalist with 20 year’s experience and the publisher of ObesityCures.com, a site with the ambitious aim of being a “one-stop-shop” for impartial information on obesity and weight loss solutions – including fad diets, prescription weightloss pills and natural weightloss aids.
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