Keeping Kids Fit.

[ski diva]

The cover story on Time Magazine this week is today's obesity epidemic among kids. According to the article, in 1971 only 4% of kids were obese. In 2004, 19%. Today, 32% of all American kids are overweight.

This is incredibly distressing! There are a variety of contributing factors: diet, sedentary lifestyle, to name a few. What are we Divas doing to encourage our kids to get out there and live a healthy lifestyle?

 

[itri]

I've made a major lifestyle change over the past year. I started running and doing triathlons. I try to eat healthy. And one of the biggest motivating factors for me (besides liking how it makes me feel and the fact that I'm 40 pounds lighter than I was) was that I want to be a great role model for my son. I want him to see me be as active as possible, so that he develops the same habits!

 

[pinto]

The cover story on Time Magazine this week is today's obesity epidemic among kids. According to the article, in 1971 only 4% of kids were obese. In 2004, 19%. Today, 32% of all American kids are overweight.

Which one? There is a difference, technically, I believe.

Anyway, I think diet is the biggest thing, although activity is also there. But we eat out, and we eat processed junk, and we eat McDonalds, and it's just all so readily available, where it wasn't back then.

And portions are enormous. Look at the sizes of a hamburger and Coke at McDonald's: the regular hamburger used to be what you got. Now you have burgers that are four times that size. A coke was 7 oz. Now a small is 16 oz.

I don't think a sedentary kid with a good diet is going to get fat. High activity can put off the effects of a bad diet, but only so much.

And we haven't even gotten started on high fructose corn syrup...

 

[itri]

Which one? There is a difference, technically, I believe.

Anyway, I think diet is the biggest thing, although activity is also there. But we eat out, and we eat processed junk, and we eat McDonalds, and it's just all so readily available, where it wasn't back then.

And portions are enormous. Look at the sizes of a hamburger and Coke at McDonald's: the regular hamburger used to be what you got. Now you have burgers that are four times that size. A coke was 7 oz. Now a small is 16 oz.

I don't think a sedentary kid with a good diet is going to get fat. High activity can put off the effects of a bad diet, but only so much.

And we haven't even gotten started on high fructose corn syrup...

Good points! I do my best to avoid HFCS if at all possible, and while DS is a VERY picky toddler, I'm trying my best to expand his horizons and get him to eat healthy. But, if all he'll eat is hot dogs, chicken nuggets and waffles, I can at least buy the healthiest versions of those, kwim?

 

[pinto]

Good points! I do my best to avoid HFCS if at all possible, and while DS is a VERY picky toddler, I'm trying my best to expand his horizons and get him to eat healthy. But, if all he'll eat his hot dogs, chicken nuggets and waffles, I can at least buy the healthiest versions of those, kwim?

I absolutely do kwym!

Luckily, my son would always eat tomatoes and corn and cantaloupe and, when older, raw carrots and peppers. My daughter has always eaten tons of fruit, but veggies are still tough. I didn't care too much if they ate chicken nuggets for every meal just so long as they got their fruits and vegetables in there, too. It's definitely not easy.

They saw "Supersize Me" a couple of years ago, though, so now fast food isn't a "treat" anymore. It grosses them out. Well, usually. We always like a burger or Taco Bell every once in a while .... I'm not too stringent on that stuff. (Totally restricting it usually makes it more attractive ...)

 

[pinto]

One more post ... the most important thing is, Just don't buy the stuff. Don't have it available. I can control myself pretty well, but if there are Cokes in the refrigerator, the kids will drink them.

I don't even bake much anymore, because we'll empty out the cookie jar. That makes me feel as much guilt as I ever feel, because my mother is a renowned baker. Her cookies are legend. She bakes almost every day. I regret not giving my kids that. I know it's silly, and she lives close so they can enjoy her labors, but I get that "I've fallen short!" feeling.

But she can do that because she has more self-control than anyone I know. Since she can remember, she has eaten the same exact thing for lunch. A half sandwich, a piece of fruit, 6 or 7 potato chips, 5 oz of Coke or Dr Pepper, and two cookies. She never eats out for lunch. She will drive home from an errand at 12:30, eat lunch at home, and get back in the car to finish her trip.

The funny thing is that she would pack my lunch in high school: the same lunch she ate, except no soda ... I was running miles every day at the time, and my energy needs were much much higher. I would eat the lunch out of my locker by about 10 am, and then go out to lunch with my friends to Taco Bell or Burger King.

But even if I rolled my eyes at her classic lunch, I remember her telling me, "If you eat this for lunch every day, you will never get fat." (Of course, at 15 or 16, I was in danger of starving to death, but I wasn't fat, LOL.) She is about 115 lb, 5'6", so I guess she was right.

Anyway, my kids forever complain that we never have anything "good" to eat, but hopefully it's the right thing for them.

 

[Robyn]

Okay, here comes my coach hat again, sorry. While I don't make the choices for any of my own kids I do see what many, many youngsters are eating for lunch while skiing and I assume that the kinds of things they have packed for lunch are fairly typical. Most of it, junk. Processed, loaded with sugar junk. And I had parents comment somewhat snidely on my brown rice, beans and unsweetened applesauce. Every season, once or twice I'll make cookies for my group, usually as a reward for a big accomplishment. When I bake it is always with at least half of it whole wheat flour. It drove me nuts when I saw other coaches bringing candy for their kids.

 

[mollmeister]

I am trying to imbue in my kids a sense of where real food comes from. My sister is a huge advocate for the local farm community and the biggest locavore I know. She buys locally first, certified organic second. And she avoids excess packaging and processing. She eats, recycles, or composts nearly everything-- she generates almost no waste!

So we learn about farms and plants and animals. And what REAL food looks like. And we grow all our own tomatoes and herbs in the summer, which makes them much more fun to eat! I am not lecturing them, but showing them, and making it fun. ODS LOVES the farmer's market every Saturday, and he's expressing more and more interest in trying something new from there every week. (Yay!) I am actually hoping ODS can go to *farm camp* at a friend of my sister's farm next summer. Check it out:
https://www.cureorganicfarm.com/kidscamp.htm

Does that mean that my kids don't make the occasional stop at Chick-fil-A or that they don't go through phases where they mostly eat (organic) cheese pizza? Of course not. (I don't believe in total denial-- we had no sugary cereals and very few desserts in my house as a kid and I have struggled my whole life until recently on portion control on the things I was *denied.*) But those things are fun treats (NOT rewards, but treats, because I think the two are different) at our house, not regular occurrences. Treats now and again = yay! We all have at least one guilty pleasure. Mine isn't fast food chicken (uh, try a really good soda shop milkshake), but ODS's is, for now.

I will admit, though, that I found out from my ODS's preschool teacher that one day they sang a camp song mentioning McDs and Pizza Hut to get the kids' attention, and my kid raised his hand and announced that HIS family didn't like those restaurants because they are bad for you and bad for the environment. Yay for him! Also embarrassing.


As for exercise, it's just part of who we are. Kids can't wait to go on the ski hill or go hiking or to the playground. Kids naturally like to move, so we're encouraging it without forcing too many structured activities for now. When they hit the witching hour, we go for a walk. Or run around in the park across the street. Or chase each other with water pistols. Just have our best times outside and moving! And we can only hope that they continue to love those times best.

 

[BackCountryGirl]

Like Mollmeister and her mom, my daughter and I have very different eating styles. She has far more self-control than I do, seems to have very little interest in sugar, and she's a grazer. (I remember one trip we took to Tremblant when she was 7 -- I kept trying to get her to split bear claws with me, and she refused.) Maybe I've helped her to develop a healthy relationship to food, maybe it is her genetics. I do know that when she was young, I never tried to force her into 3 meals or set times for eating. I also didn't try to steer her into "proper" foods. If she wanted whole wheat pasta with sauce or grilled cheese for breakfast, she had it. I just let her graze. So, now, she's a teenager who eats when she's hungry and has a very good relationship to food -- something I never had, growing up in the "clean plate" era. I definitely think the trick is to keep a supply of minimally processed foods around, allow kids to eat when hungry, and let them learn how to make choices for themselves.

Now that's only half the battle, the other half is activity. Luckily, we live on a small farm, with no lack of physical labor. We hike, and ski, and ride, and bike, but we also haul feed bags, carry water buckets, stack hay, chop ice, and handle animals. I think some of the global changes in American lifestyle are responsible for the obesity epidemic -- snow blowers v. shovels, vacuuming v. sweeping. It's going to get tougher with each generation to keep kids fit if they don't have to do physical labor.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Isn't it interesting that young kids being taught to ski are given the reference of "pizza" and "french fries?" (with regard to positioning of their skis) I don't know if this visual is still in use.

 

[pinto]

....Now that's only half the battle, the other half is activity. Luckily, we live on a small farm, with no lack of physical labor. We hike, and ski, and ride, and bike, but we also haul feed bags, carry water buckets, stack hay, chop ice, and handle animals. I think some of the global changes in American lifestyle are responsible for the obesity epidemic -- snow blowers v. shovels, vacuuming v. sweeping. It's going to get tougher with each generation to keep kids fit if they don't have to do physical labor.

That is a good one. Here is a story about my other parent: I called my dad on Father's Day, and he was in the middle of digging out a window well. It was a warm day, but not hot, and I guess he was standing in this 4-ft hole while we were chatting. He sounded tired, but good tired.

Thinking to myself, "he's 67, is this smart?" I told him, "You know, you could hire someone to do this." His reply was, "Well, I thought about that. Then I thought, Why should I pay someone to do that, and then pay to go to a gym and exercise? I'm doing both at the same time, and not paying anyone."

Well, of course! My concern was just that I didn't want him to have a heart attack in that hole, but you know ... as long as he keeps fit and active, the chances are less that he overstrains himself than if he sits in his recliner and gets soft and loses his fitness.

So I agree with labor. We talk a lot about sports on this site, but that's a good one, and one that is disappearing much faster than sports. (At least in my neck of the woods ... we pay people to do most of our labor, while we then go to the gym and lift other things! Where is the logic?)

 

[Robyn]

Isn't it interesting that young kids being taught to ski are given the reference of "pizza" and "french fries?" (with regard to positioning of their skis) I don't know if this visual is still in use.

Still very much in use. Unfortunately for kids it's an immediate visual relationship they can make. I'd be interested to hear ideas of different terms to use.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

For kids of reading age, I used the letters A and H. Never even heard the pizza/french fry reference until years later. I suppose it's more immediate. But it sure implies something, i.e., our unhealthy food references.

Mechanized/motorized rant: people whose lawns are certainly small enough to be done with a power mower - and they're sitting on $2k John Deere 18 hp tractors. People whose lawns are tiny enough to be done with a reel (non-motorized) mower using self-propelled power mowers.

We are over-mechanized, for sure. Heck, if I could even FIND a vehicle with crank windows and manual locks, I'd buy one. When power windows act up, ugh. Big bucks. Would rather crank.

OTOH, when I consider the kinds of unsupervised active stuff in which I participated as a "early suburban" kid --- those days are over. It's just not safe anymore. I can't blame any parent today for not allowing a 9-10 year old to just take off on a bicycle for half a day. So some of the restrictions on their independence clearly have safety in mind. Very hard. Ultimately means that kids have to have very supervised, structured sports and activities....meaning the Soccer Mom phase.

This is great for the kids....not so great for mom. Endless hours behind the wheel. What's the alternative/solution? Wow. I haven't a clue.....:(

 

[Jilly]

Like Robyn I look around at what kids and people eat for lunch while skiing. We usually have soup or chili, water, hot chocolate or coffee. And maybe split a chocolate bar between the two of us. What gets me is that a set meal, like, hamburger, fries and drink, is least expensive than our chili (and you can get vegan). So what do kids buy? Yah.
I live in small town Canada where hockey rules in the winter. Summer is now soccer, where baseball used to be the thing. I remember pick up games of ball in someone's back yard. Now the back yards aren't big enough to do that. Sports is too organized around here. We don't have any mountain biking either. But I hear that's coming. Trails are being remade this summer.
And as for labour intensive work - HA - Now why would I a dig a trench, when I can work in the climate controlled comfort of a call center? So our lifestyle is not active in the work area. Average age of the trades people around here is 50. That's contruction, block layers, plumbers and electricians. Some day soon, we're going to be in trouble.

 

[SnowHot]

I agree with all the comments about cooking from scratch instead of processed foods. Huge difference in how I feel and what I eat.

I do think there is a difference when a teen is highly active...................
My nephew and his buddies were/are gymnasts, working out and practicing every day.
When he left home for school, my sister bought groceries, then a week later, bought the same groceries.
She didn't have anywhere to put the stuff she bought because Eric and his friends hadn't been around the house to eat it all during the past week.

That being said, we don't eat like teen age boys, and we probably don't burn the calories that an active teen age boy burns.

Question is, how do you get a young child to become an active teen?
First and foremost, limit indoor time and/or electronic time(computer/play station/tv)?

Pinto, I agree with you on the baking thing. I try really hard to only bake when we have company or if we go to a gathering. Then we have others to share the goodies with, and we still get a taste of some of our favourites.


Now, about the google ad at the top of the home page for me.
www.LuckyBum.com

Real outdoor gear for kids. How cool is that?

 

[Jilly]

I don't even bake much anymore, because we'll empty out the cookie jar.

Same reason I put the bread oven/maker away!!

 

[mollmeister]

Mechanized/motorized rant: people whose lawns are certainly small enough to be done with a power mower - and they're sitting on $2k John Deere 18 hp tractors. People whose lawns are tiny enough to be done with a reel (non-motorized) mower using self-propelled power mowers.

We're very attached to our old school, non-powered motor. DH LOVES that he gets a real workout mowing the lawn. Granted, it's a very small lawn, but even so. On a hot day, that's WORK!

OTOH, when I consider the kinds of unsupervised active stuff in which I participated as a "early suburban" kid --- those days are over. It's just not safe anymore. I can't blame any parent today for not allowing a 9-10 year old to just take off on a bicycle for half a day. So some of the restrictions on their independence clearly have safety in mind. Very hard. Ultimately means that kids have to have very supervised, structured sports and activities....meaning the Soccer Mom phase.

We were the same way as kids. I very seriously took ballet, but other than that, we ran around like crazy. We lived kind of out in the country, on a big piece of property, and my sister and I would take off crashing through the woods and climbing trees and wandering over to various neighbors'. At friends' houses who lived in subdivisions, we would ride bikes all over and visit friends.

Honestly, I don't get why this isn't the norm anymore. I mean, sure, you'd never forgive yourself if something happened. And moms do worry (as I am sure my mom did-- she's a champion worrier-- but she let us run around anyway). BUT crime is actually MUCH lower than it was in the 70s and early 80s, when I was crashing through the woods alone and riding my bike through neighborhoods, and we have better ways of contacting our children, with cell phones and tracking technology.

Unfortunately I think our rather alarmist/sensationalist media scares us with kidnapping stories because they make for *exciting* news. :mad: In reality, there has not been a substantive increase in the number of kidnapped kids, and the VAST majority of them are taken in contentious divorce/custody cases. Do other things happen? Of course and it's very sad. But I think we are now conditioned to worry more than we should as parents.

 

[pinto]

We're very attached to our old school, non-powered motor. DH LOVES that he gets a real workout mowing the lawn. Granted, it's a very small lawn, but even so. On a hot day, that's WORK!



We were the same way as kids. I very seriously took ballet, but other than that, we ran around like crazy. We lived kind of out in the country, on a big piece of property, and my sister and I would take off crashing through the woods and climbing trees and wandering over to various neighbors'. At friends' houses who lived in subdivisions, we would ride bikes all over and visit friends.

Honestly, I don't get why this isn't the norm anymore. I mean, sure, you'd never forgive yourself if something happened. And moms do worry (as I am sure my mom did-- she's a champion worrier-- but she let us run around anyway). BUT crime is actually MUCH lower than it was in the 70s and early 80s, when I was crashing through the woods alone and riding my bike through neighborhoods, and we have better ways of contacting our children, with cell phones and tracking technology.

Unfortunately I think our rather alarmist/sensationalist media scares us with kidnapping stories because they make for *exciting* news. :mad: In reality, there has not been a substantive increase in the number of kidnapped kids, and the VAST majority of them are taken in contentious divorce/custody cases. Do other things happen? Of course and it's very sad. But I think we are now conditioned to worry more than we should as parents.

I'm glad you posted that, because I was thinking the same thing. We didn't have Amber Alerts and 24-hr cable news back then.

The problem is that most parents are so freaked out that even if you allow your kids to ride their bikes around the neighborhood unsupervised, they won't have any friends to go with! And you'll be the scary mom who doesn't watch her children closely enough ....

 

[ski diva]

Some of the things these kids eat is incredible. -- and it seems that some parents just don't seem to mind. For example, this past ski season I was eating lunch in the lodge (I always bring my own), and there was a dad sitting with his son at the next table. The kid had a tray in front of him with a huge slice of pizza, an extra-big rice krispies treat, and an enormous soft drink! And this was not a thin kid. Clearly it was okay with the Dad, but it made my stomach turn just to look at it.

I think we lead by example, by the food we have in house, and by doing what parents are supposed to do -- taking a stand on what is and isn't okay to eat. The problem is that some parents forget or ignore this.

 

[Skimom]

I used to think I was a terrible mom because I don't bake. (I like to, but if we have stuff around we eat it!) and because my kids always complain that we have "nothing to eat" in our house! However, my kids are very active and physically fit!

I do let them roam the neighborhood on their bikes and go to the park and play...with a cell phone to check in of course, and I'm nervous while they are gone. But it makes me happy that they are out exploring and learning things on their own.

I'm sure there are lots of things I do wrong! But I'm proud about how active and fit my kiddos are, and I'm not sure I can pinpoint exactly why! One thing that I've been a stickler about is eating meals together. It doesn't always work out, but at least 5 out of 7 nights a week we eat together as a family, and I think that has been very important for us!

My kiddos have actually encouraged me to be more fit, so that's kind of cool too!