70A - Fit and Well Column for May 9th, 2004

70A - TITLE: "Overweight Children – The Solution!"

As we mentioned last week, an increasing number of children are obese, and if no intervention is made, 80% of them will stay overweight as adults. This can put them at risk for many medical problems, including diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and sleep apnea. Obesity can also adversely affect their self-esteem as it did with mine. Fat is NOT cute!

Here are some practical steps you can take as the parent of a young child to prevent obesity.

We encourage mothers to breastfeed as long as possible in the first year. It is very difficult to overfeed a breastfed baby and there is much research that suggests breastfeeding is protective against obesity.

A very dangerous habit is to calm an upset babies with food. Food then becomes an agent of comfort, not nutrition. Make sure the reason the baby is crying is due to hunger, and not just the desire to be held or changed. By all means, if the baby is hungry, feed him or her. If not, hug, cuddle, nurture and PLAY!

In the first 12 months, babies grow very rapidly and require frequent feeding. Around the age of one year, they become more active, but at the same time there is a decrease in growth velocity. Proportionate to their weight, they require fewer calories than they did as infants, which is a normal, healthy development.

Parents find it difficult when their toddlers won't eat. However, multiple studies show that healthy young children have a very reliable internal mechanism that appropriately regulates their intake of calories and nutrition. Learn to trust your child's innate ability to eat as much as he or she needs.

In toddlers, satiety signals are quite good. Your 2-year-old may feel full after just a couple of bites, and that's fine. The most practical house rule is that the parent gets to choose when and what to feed the child, and the child gets to choose how much of it to eat. Often toddlers eat only one significant meal a day, and take only a bite or two at other meals.

Offer your toddler a variety of food choices. If hungry, the child will eat. If not, the food will sit there. Offer food that the child has eaten before. If it doesn't get eaten, don't offer more options to get the child to eat something, or you may end up with a picky eater.

Sweets should NOT be a major part of the diet, but an occasional sweet is fine. If dessert is part of the meal, don't require your child to clean his plate in order to have it. Holding out one kind of food as a reward is not a good idea and may confuse the child as you try to instill good eating habits.

Make active play a regular part of every day and limit screen time to less than an hour a day. Young children need to discover the fun and joy in body movement, play, and activity… not in passive entertainment.

Because children are growing so quickly, they generally benefit from eating meat and/or other foods in the meat group -- fish, poultry, eggs, peas, and beans to supply necessary protein and fats. Some nutritionists recommend that teenage girls eat two servings each day from the meat group, for a total of 6 ounces. Teenage boys should have three helpings from the meat group, for a total of 7 ounces. Of course, you should select lean cuts of meat, and then remove any visible fat. When you cook chicken, first remove the skin, it contains a lot of extra fat.

Try to limit the amount of high-fat processed meats that you buy -- such as sausages, salami, and other cold cuts. When buying packaged meat, be sure to read the Nutrition Facts Label on the package so that you can select the most nutritious brand. Adolescents' growing bodies need also meat because of its iron content. This mineral is vital because of the expanding volume of blood in that growing body. Plus, teenage girls are at some risk of deficiency because of the amount of iron lost through menstruation.

It is YOUR responsibility to be a good model for your child or children. It is NOT "do what I say, not what I do!". We call this "Fitness Modeling", and it is a vital principle in supporting proper lifestyle choices by our children.

We are firm believers in people taking responsibility for our own actions. However this does not include young children. They are kids- you are the adult, they lack the knowledge, and the comprehension needed to make healthy food choices. That is your responsibility. Trish and I are appalled when we see children eating super sized portions, or tacos, or burger combos, while washing it down with sugary soda or a slurpee! Who buys this? The parents! Children need to have rules to go by, also.

1. Distinguish what is "junk food" and what are healthy foods. Talk about what the differences are. (i.e. - deep fried French fries vs. potatoes or yams)
2. Ensure your child eats breakfast before leaving for school. Note: This may be difficult, if the child is not used to it…but with consistency, they will adapt.
3. Pack a nutritious lunch. Foods such as crackers and cheese, pretzels, fruit, trail mix, granola bars, dry cereal, hearty sandwiches, with milk or fruit juice.
4. Eat a balanced supper, make it "family time" or at least establish a time, where the child "knows" it’s time to eat…rather than sit in front of the T.V and "snack" on potato chips or pizza pops.
5. If you have desert, or "treats", SAVOR them. Make sure the kids recognize it as a treat…not a food group!

Just like we recommend for adults, diversity and moderation is the KEY for healthy eating. Of course, there IS peer pressure, which should not be minimized. What we suggest is that teenagers go along to the fast food restaurant, and eat some "junk food", but in moderation! Trish and I do, and Angelica probably will also!

Exercise as Play

Play is exercise, and exercise should ALWAYS be play! This is what Trish and I believe in for everyone!

All children, regardless of their athletic ability, can and should participate in regular aerobic activity. Aerobic exercise is steady, moderately intense exercise that increases heart rate and breathing. Bicycling, jogging, walking briskly and skating are examples. Any physical activity that the child enjoys can enhance strength and endurance. For children who exercise regularly, staying fit is more likely to become a lifelong habit. And fitness can help build a child's self-esteem and self-image.

Exercise must be fun for children. While scheduling regular workouts is a good strategy for an adult, it may not work for a child or even a teen. A better approach is to encourage a fitness activity that the child enjoys, at the time the child chooses, or as a family pastime.

Teach your child to exercise safely, or get a professional to assist. Warm-up exercises before activity help prevent injury. So does having the proper equipment for the activity, such as appropriate athletic shoes, protective eyewear and helmets. If your child wants to take part in any type of after-school exercise or sports program, make sure the activity is properly supervised by a qualified person. Also, take your child for a physical exam before starting.

Here is a short list of beneficial aerobic activities:

• basketball
• bicycling
• cross-country skiing
• hockey
• ice skating
• jogging
• karate
• rollerblading
• rowing
• soccer
• swimming
• tennis
• walking (fast)

Strength training IS perfect for kids. Strength training isn't about lifting the heaviest weight possible. Instead, the focus is on lighter weights and controlled movements, with a special emphasis on proper technique and safety.

Remember please that heavy lifting can put too much strain on young muscles, tendons and growth plates, especially when proper technique is sacrificed in favor of lifting larger amounts of weight.

Your child can build muscle strength using:

• Free weights
• Weight machines
• Resistance bands
• His or her own body weight

Good technique and the right amount of resistance, young athletes can avoid growth plate injuries. Strengthening exercises, with proper training and supervision, provide many benefits to a young athlete.

Supervised strength training that emphasizes proper technique:

• Increases your child's muscle strength and endurance
• Protects your child's muscles and joints from injury
• Helps improve performance in a particular sport

Just like adults, children may gain other health benefits from strength training. These include:

• Better heart and lung function
• A healthy body composition
• Stronger bones
• Lower blood cholesterol levels
• A good fitness habit that lasts a lifetime
• Higher basal metabolism

Because technique and proper form are so important, don't let your child begin strength training until he or she is mature enough to accept directions. A good rule of thumb is if your child is old enough to participate in organized sports, such as hockey, soccer or gymnastics, he or she is ready for some form of strength training.

The right strength training program for your child isn't just a scaled-down version of what an adult would do. A youth strength training program needs to focus on:

• Correct technique
• Smooth, controlled motions
• Less resistance and many repetitions

That's the opposite of many adult programs, which focus on fewer repetitions with heavier weights.

Your child's coach, athletic instructor, or Personal Trainer can tailor a strength training program according to your child's age, size, skills and sports interests.

The general principles of youth strength training are:

• Provide instruction. Show your child how to perform strength training exercises using controlled breathing and proper form. You might ask a trained professional to demonstrate. If you enroll your child in a class, make sure there's at least one instructor for every 10 students to ensure that your child receives proper instruction.
• Supervise. Adult supervision is important to reinforce safety and good technique. For instance, if your child lifts weights to strength train, a spotter — someone who stands ready to grab the weights — can step in if the weight becomes too heavy. As a parent, you can get involved in strength training, too. You can supervise your child and serve as a positive reinforcement for healthy lifestyle habits.
• Warm up; cool down. Have your child begin each workout with 5 to 10 minutes of a warm-up activity, such as walking, jogging in place or jumping rope. This makes muscles warm and ready for action, all the while minimizing the risk of injury. End each workout with a cool down, including some light stretching.
• Think light weights, controlled repetitions. One set of 12 to 20 repetitions at a lighter weight is all it takes. Kids don't need weights specially sized for them. They can safely lift adult-size weights as long as the weight isn't too heavy. The resistance doesn't have to come from weights, either. Resistance tubing can be just as effective — especially for younger kids.
• Keep it fun. Vary the routine often. Kids are more likely to stick with strength training if they don't get bored by it.

By establishing healthy patterns early in your children- you have made their journeys into fitness much easier. As the saying goes…knowledge is power…so protect your kids. They are our future, so please, think about the message you are sending. The problem of, and cure for, childhood obesity begins in the home.

Both Trish and I fully support a local effort to promote family fitness…. The Fitness Challenge! You have until May 16^th to sign up. Don’t miss this great opportunity to learn and play!