Parenting as a Christian Single Dad

Question:

What can we do as parents to help our children stay at a healthy weight?

Answer:

Children stay at a healthy weight by balancing their diet with physical activity, just like adults. One of the best ways to improve your child’s health and the health of the entire family is to improve daily eating habits and activity levels for the entire family. As parents we have to be role models for our children, we can’t sit on the couch eating chips and expect our kids to make healthy choices. Spending time with our children being physically active equals quality time with our children we will remember and hopefully they will too.

Did You Know?

Americans are growing heavier. Today, the majority of adults are either overweight or obese and our children are following suit. Children that are overweight or obese are at risk of serious problems like: type 2 diabetes, asthma, heart disease, low self-esteem, and sleep problems. Children that are overweight tend to be overweight throughout their lives, they don’t grow out of it.

Take Action – Get Physically Active

Just like with adults children need the same type of physical activity, however we tend to go to the gym and expecting our children to do the same would be ridiculous. Children need aerobic activity, muscle strengthening activity, and bone strengthening activities.

Aerobic Activities for Children – include things such as running, dancing, and skipping

Muscle Strengthening Activities for Children – the number one place for children to get this type of activity is at the playground. Kids are always climbing and holding on to things at the playground.

Bone Strengthening Activities for Children – include sporting activities like basketball or jumping rope.

Planning Healthy Meals

Shop, cook, and plan your healthy meals. Madalyn loves to help at the store and she has learned the difference between junk food and good food. Get your children involved in some of the decision making and make it fun for them. Buy and serve more fruit, vegetables, and whole grains. In my opinion if you are buying anything that is boxed or prepackaged then you are giving a little in health arena. Preservatives and words that you can’t pronounce seem to fill nutritional labels these days and I steer clear of them as much as possible but it is okay to splurge every now and then. Whether my dinner came from a box or cooked from wholesome foods typically doesn’t take more time one way or another.

Again we need to be role models for our children when it comes to eating, we need to start by making smart food choices for ourselves and our kids will notice. One of the best resources that I have found concerning nutrition and healthy living is Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle. This book exposed many myths and logically makes sense to me.

We have all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and there is a reason for it… because it is. Your body has just gone 8 – 10 hours without food. It is in need of food for energy and to replace muscle. Skipping breakfast can make children hungry, tired and more likely to snack on junk food later in the day. I know it does me. Watch out for sugary cereal directed towards children. You may want to check out this post on the worst cereals.

How Much Sleep is Enough?

We all need sleep but children need more sleep than adults and if children don’t get enough sleep they are at a higher risk of being overweight.

Children 2 – 5 need about 11 hours of sleep per day
Children 5 – 10 need about 10 hour of sleep per day
Children over the age of 10 need 9 hours of sleep per day

(According to Healthfinder.gov)

So there you have it… how to raise healthy children. Physical activity, diet, and sleep all play a major role in our children’s lives. But we have to adapt a healthy lifestyle for ourselves if we expect our children to.