September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, and with that in mind, I wanted to share a few tips on how to promote a healthy lifestyle at home. It’s never too late to start practicing healthy food and exercise choices, and hopefully we can break the cycle of obesity in our communities. According to the CDC, 1 in 5 school-aged children is obese. Many people assume obesity stems from genetics, but a child’s environment and home life play a big part in how they perceive food and body image.
Growing up, I knew many kids who were bullied and ridiculed for their size and weight all the time. It only got worse when they got older, and they would cope with food. With social media and pop culture today, children are bombarded with images of certain body types, foods and diets to help you stay skinny.
Every child deals with stress differently and every home has various ways of dealing with that stress. Children imitate what they see at home, so when they see their parents eat healthy and balanced meals, they will more than likely follow suit. I ate dinner with my family every night at the kitchen table and I believe that is why I enjoy a healthy lifestyle now as an adult. My parents would cook balanced meals and involve me in the process. It helped me understand what I was eating and gave me a sense of pride in the meals I was preparing for my body.
Here are a few tips and ideas to promote a healthy lifestyle in your home:
- Involve your kids in the cooking process! Let them prepare what they can for the family meal and teach them that eating healthy can be fun.
- Let them go grocery shopping with you. I know this can be a challenge sometimes, but if they get to pick and chose what goes into their meals they will hopefully be less resistant to eating it.
- Exercise together as a family. Whether you like going for walks or playing soccer in the backyard, find something the whole family enjoys together and do it as often as possible. Being active helps build confidence in children and they are less likely to eat unhealthy foods to cope with inactivity and/or boredom.
- Promote a positive body image. If the adults in their lives are always trying to be skinny or putting down on their physical appearance, children will think that they have to do the same. Always remind children that the most healthy lifestyle is a balanced one with healthy foods and exercise. It doesn’t matter what you physically look like as long as you are healthy and happy inside and out.
- Talk to your children, even if they don’t want to! Kids can be mean, and if your child has weight issues no matter what the cause, they are probably suffering emotionally. Let them know that you are there for them and as a family you can help them live a healthy lifestyle. Talk to your kids about eating the right foods and be an example for them everyday in your home life.
Kids should just be kids, not worrying about fitting into a social norm but being more concerned with having a healthy lifestyle. Thankfully, obesity is not a life sentence for a child, and there are many healthy ways to prevent this epidemic—it all starts at home.
