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Can’t Convince Them? Join Them! Getting Kids to Lose Weight Without Them Knowing
Many kids are overweight these days—and it is easy to see why. In the past, kids actually walked or rode their
bikes to school. They didn’t spend hours every night doing homework and their favorite activities were playing
outside and having fun with other kids. Now, kids are so different. Kids are busy-they eat a lot of fast food, ride
the bus to school and back, sit all day at school and then a couple of hours every night doing homework and then
they watch television until bedtime.
It is no wonder why many kids are teetering on the edge of obesity. If you are a parent, then this should concern
you. While you never want to give your kid a negative body image by telling them they need exercise, you should
encourage them that exercise and eating healthy is the right thing to do. Here are some ways to get your kids
healthy without them even realizing you are doing so.
Limit screen time: When you limit screen time when it comes your children, that includes television or computer,
and even their beloved Game Boy or PlayStation. Kids should not have more than about one hour of screen time each
day. If you find that your kids are engaging in more screen time than you would like, then you need to do something
about it. Give them coupons for 30 minutes of screen time and make them earn their privileges to watch television
or play on the computer. Encourage them to turn off the TV and to get outside and play. While it is certainly
easier to plop your toddler in front of the TV while you are cooking dinner, get your kids to help you instead.
These are small ways that you can get your kids up and moving. It will lead to a healthier lifestyle for them in
the future.
Take a hard look at your shopping cart: you are the parent and you are in charge of what you buy at the grocery
store. There are so many over processed and high sugar foods available on the market that it is easy for your
children to reach their recommended daily allowance of sugar by breakfast time. Take a hard look at the things that
you bring home for your children to eat. Switch your high processed foods with more whole foods such as fruits and
vegetables. In addition, switch your high fat foods, especially dairy products, to lower fat varieties. These often
taste no different and if you make the switch while your children are young, they will probably not be able to tell
the difference.
Fill the snack box with things that are tasty and healthy as well. These can include granola bar is individually
packaged applesauce, low-fat cheese sticks, baked crackers and chips and raisins. You might also want to consider
brown bagging your child's lunch. If you do not know what your kids are eating at school, this can also lead to big
problems. If your child must eat at school, find out what type of food the school serves and what you can do to
limit what they eat. Many schools are now switching to healthier menus and you can actually place limits on what
your children are allowed to buy at lunchtime.
Ban the fast food: One problem that many families now face is that they have extremely busy schedules. This busy
schedule often leads families to pull through fast food drive-through on a regular basis. There is nothing healthy
about eating fast food and drinking high sugar sodas on a regular basis. For this reason, you should discourage
fast food and save these types of places for special and occasional treats. If you find that you must go through a
fast food restaurant, encourage your children to order things like salads, fruit, baked potatoes and water.
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