Active Kids are Healthy Kids

Active kids are healthy kids, but an equally important element to healthy living for everyone, including children, is diet. 

According to the Center for Disease Control, nearly 20% of youth age 6-19 years old are obese, not simply overweight, but obese. Possibly more alarming is how quickly that number rose from just 7% in 1980.
 Obviously the short and long term adverse health effects of obesity in children are vast and alarming. Hypertension, depression, bone and joint problems, and even cardiovascular disease are just some of the potential health problems obese and overweight youth can face.
 So what’s the solution? Obviously physical activity plays a part, and structured and un-structured (free play) activities should be a fundamental part of all children’s lives. Family activities, sports, recreation, and an overall emphasis on being active make a huge difference. The other difference maker is diet.
 The eating habits that children develop when young generally stay with them their entire lives. Children who eat fruits and vegetables, have whole, home-cooked meals, and have chips, candy, and fast food rarely are much more likely to extend those habits to their adult lives and pass them on to their own children.
 Some easy ways to incorporate healthy eating into you and your children’s lives is to set aside 2-3 meals a week where you eat together. A myriad of healthy, delicious recipes are available on-line and provide an opportunity to not only eat together but cook and prepare food together as well. Kidshealth.org also offers a few pointers to help better facilitate healthy eating in your family, including setting an example yourself by eating healthy food, not allowing food choices to become an area of confrontation or arguments, and again, involving kids in the process.
 No matter what you do to encourage healthy eating in your family, the effort will be well worth it. Children who eat healthy and participate in 60 minutes of physical activity a day are statistically much more likely to make healthy choices in other areas of their life as well, including when it comes to consuming drugs and alcohol (CDC).
 Make healthy eating a priority in your family today!

Article Written By: Cody Glad, CAC Silver Lake Operations Director