Like many mom’s Laurie knows helping children be active and well takes effort and commitment. Parents need to be encouraged. That’s exactly what you’ll find here. Learn techniques to help children live a healthy lifestyle. From tasty cooking to enjoyable play, you’ll find easy ways to model your fitness plan and help children make fit choices. Fit For Kids is organized into the following four sections:
1. Kids are more than statistics
2. Create and encourage healthy choices for kids
4. Kids need wellness role models
As you
help children be active and well return to this page, share your ideas and successes and post your comments below. Watch for LIVE CHAT events online at Faith & Fitness Magazine hosted by Laurie Graves. You can schedule her to do a Fit For Kids presentation at your church, gym or community event.
Use the menu below to navigate to other Fit For Freedom ONLINE pages.
KIDS ARE MORE THAN STATISTICS
Today one in three children are considered overweight. There is also an 80% chance that a child will be overweight as an adult if they remain obese as a child. Additionally, 70% of all teens have one or more of these conditions: high blood pressure, high triglycerides, low levels of HDL cholesterol and carrying additional weight on their skeletal frame.
Therefore, it is so important to demonstrate healthy nutritional choices, exercise habits and spiritual strengths like praying and eating meals together as a family that all lead to the wellness of a child. With the right commitment and effort one can exhibit and emphasize the importance of balance in living a fit life.
If I wanted to go to a theme park, I wouldn’t fit on most of the rides, if any at all. Then I thought how sad that would be if my kids wanted me to ride with them, and I had to explain to them that I could not fit in the seat.
-Troy Maxwell, God's Great Plan, Fit for Freedom
RESOURCES TO HELP SHAPE YOUR CHILD’S PERSONAL DATA
– FIT Kid’s BMI Calculator for Parents from WebMD
– Is my child a healthy weight? by Childhood Obesity Foundation (Canada)
– Talking About Weight by PBS Parents
– Mission Nutrition online game for kids by KidsHealth.org
CREATE AND ENCOURAGE HEALTHY CHOICES FOR KIDS
Fit For Freedom has been developed to encourage you to get healthy both physically and spiritually. Parents and adults can likewise encourage healthy choices for kids by building on practical tips that Laurie outlines in this section.
1. Never tell your children that they are on a diet. That can be hurtful, frustrating and discourage a child from wanting to participate in any lifestyle changes.
2. Describe the family's new eating habits as, “healthy lifestyle choices” or as a “ decision to love your temple”.
3. As a parent, you must learn to say “no”. Children are often governed by their impulses. By setting healthy boundaries early on, lasting healthy habits will more than likely be a part of their young adult and adult years. Chef Jamie Oliver talks about how to teach every child about food. He worked with Dr. Stephen Willis a pastor in West Virginia to help families set healthy boundaries.
4. Start cooking at home to save you and your child from lots of added fat, salt and calories. Allow your child to help you plan and prepare meals, teach them a love of learning how to make creative, healthy dishes. Have fun in the kitchen and make cooking an experience that kids are excited about. Both women and men can plan and prepare healthier meals at home.
5. Set up a time for sweets. Many children get “treats” every day, “just because”. Consider limiting your sweets to one time per week, outside the home, in a one-portion size. Remind kids that it’s okay to eat sweets in moderation. It can also be fun to recreate a sweet treat with healthier ingredients.
6. Remember that sweets and food should not be rewards for good behavior or outstanding achievements. Instead, do something fun and active together as a family. This video shows how one family uses a family food chart to make healthy eating fun.
7. Try not to eliminate all your child's food liberties. It can lead to eating disorders and food sneaking.
8. Puree veggies and add them to taco meat, pasta sauce, lasagna, meatloaf, etc. It's a great way to get additional veggies into you kids diet with out them knowing about it.
BE ACTIVE WITH KIDS
1. Walking is a great way to be active across a wide range of abilities. Consider taking walks with your child or grandchild. Start with a slower pace. The child should not be pressed to keep up with your pace. If they like to stop and explore, allow it, it will help develop a love for nature and the outdoors. For more activities with a child aged 5 and under read the Elmo Pushups page.
2. In warm temperatures, be aware that children do not have as many sweat glands as adults. Therefore they can be susceptible to overheating and exhaustion. You can avoid overheating by walking in the early morning or later in the evening after the sun goes down. Be sure your child is well hydrated beforehand and has an extra bottle of water for the walk.
3. Keep things fresh by changing up the exercises or activities that you do with your child. Create an obstacle course or take them to a new park for some scavenger hunt training. Continue to try new things and have fun.
4. Use the time that you are spending with your child to speak to them about the God's creation and the nature of our Father. Walking and talking is a healthy part of many cultures. Make it a practice in your family.
5. Register your child for a sport or activity they will enjoy doing that involves movement. Baseball, ballet, trampoline jumping, tap and jazz dancing, football, baseball, you name it. If they like it and will participate, it will foster self-esteem, teamwork, pride and a healthy body!
KIDS NEED WELLNESS ROLE MODELS
The number one way to model wellness for your child is to NOT criticize your God given body in front of your children. Remember that the more you take care of YOUR health you are showing your children how to live healthier, happier lives and how to have less stress in their lives as teens and adults. Kids of all ages are aware of how adults view themselves, so be a positive role model.
They are listing and learning all the time. Lead by example and give them a strong foundation on which to build. Let your children see you reading your Bible; let them see you eating well; let them see you performing exercise. What your child sees you do is what sticks with him or her. It actually develops the pathways of learning that are being formed in their brains.
If a balanced, healthy lifestyle is modeled for them, they are very likely to consider it a normal way to live and will carry that legacy with them their whole lives.
