| The European Union's heath commision released | | | | will lead to the child looking for other, more |
| some frightening, but not very surprising numbers, | | | | dangerous, ways of getting an adrenaline rush later in |
| regarding childhood obesity today: More than 400,000 | | | | life (drugs, alcahol etc).5. Eating habits at home - we |
| children become overweight each year in Europe (!). | | | | need to create a simple, good and healthy diet for |
| The numbers for North America is no better. The 2 | | | | children in the home. No more soda, fast-food, |
| leading causes of this epedemic are: poor eating | | | | donuts, candy and other higher sugar and high fat |
| habits combined with a lack of activity. No surprise | | | | content food. Lets go back to the traditional, simple |
| there either. This is, of course, a very complex | | | | diet that we used to eat. Some people might say |
| problem and not easy to solve. In my humble opinion, | | | | that it is a "punishment" to the child if they can't |
| here are some key issues to deal with:1. Daily activity | | | | have a donut and a soft drink, hell no! As I was |
| - we need to encourage children to be more active. | | | | growing up - I only had soft drinks and candy twice a |
| Much more active. One key problem is the way 90% | | | | year (Christmas and New Years). That was it! Was I |
| of all kids entertain themselves - Playstation, TV, | | | | unhappy? No, I think I had the best childhood anyone |
| Movies etc. Instead of this, lets bring back the joy | | | | could possibly ask for. I was 18 years old or so the |
| and wonder of outdoor physical activity. Lets bring | | | | first time I had fast-food (training camp in Southern |
| our kids out into the park, forest, mountains, | | | | Europe). Have good healthy meals, for breakfast, |
| back-yard, whatever is available. Encourage the | | | | lunch and dinner. That may mean spending more time |
| wonder and excitement of being outdoors, go | | | | cooking, versus ordering a pizza etc, but think of |
| exploring in the forest, look for animals, go fishing, | | | | what you are doing for your child (and yourself). And |
| skiing, you name it. Any outdoor acitivity that is fun | | | | I'm not talking about all these "popular" diets (Atkins, |
| will teach a young child to love and appreciate what | | | | no-fat and whatever else there is). No, I'm talking |
| lies outside the 35" Panasonic television set. This, I | | | | about a simple diet put together with good, raw |
| believe, is one of the most important things we can | | | | products. Also, lets bring vegetables and fruit back |
| do to combat the problem. It's important that it's fun | | | | into our lives.6. Food in the schools - Walk into a |
| and exciting, not a drag or boring.2. Phyiscal activity in | | | | public school now and take a look at what is available |
| school - for some reason the weekly amount of | | | | for kids to eat. It is amazing! How the heck can we |
| phyiscal education in our schools have dropped. This | | | | let this happen???? Soft drink machines line the walls, |
| trend must be reversed. Lets increase the amount | | | | vending machines filled with candy, VERY poor food |
| many-folds.3. Sports - when we enroll children in | | | | served in the cafeteria etc. I don't know what to say |
| sports, lets focus on encouraging and establishing | | | | about that, other than WTF!?7. As a society we |
| good attitudes towards training and living healthy and | | | | need to make changes - force the schools to serve |
| not focus so much on specialization at an early age | | | | good food. Remove the poor food items from school |
| or pressure the children into performance oriented | | | | property. Increase PE in our schools, teach children |
| goals. That can come later. And, we must face one | | | | about healthy living habits. Let them play outside, |
| very important fact: taking your son or daughter | | | | even if it's a bit cold...8. And finally - food |
| twice a week to football (soccer) practice does not | | | | manufacturers. Take a look at McDonalds for |
| fulfill the entire need for physical activity that week. | | | | example. What a great, great marketing plan they |
| Not even close. Studies have shown that | | | | have. Happy-meals, toys, a clown as a spokes-man, |
| adult-organized activities lead to 70% inactivity in the | | | | play-rooms inside the resturant, a McDonalds |
| children. It is much better to let them "run with the | | | | strategically placed close to pretty much every |
| ball" and only supervise.4. Over-Protecting - I know | | | | school in the western world and a fantastic |
| this is probably easy for me to say, since I have no | | | | ad-campain on every channel that children might |
| children, but parents are much too overprotective of | | | | watch. Can you get any closer to a "brain-washing" |
| their kids. Take a look at an average school | | | | program? How the heck can possibly a kid not want |
| playground, it will either be completely clear of natural | | | | to eat McDonalds several times a week after all |
| obstacles (trees etc), or if there are any - the | | | | that? And it's not just McDonalds, they are all doing it. |
| branches are all cut off to prevent the children from | | | | Every other food product on the market is filled with |
| climbing in it. "We" are all so concerned and afraid | | | | unhealthy, un-natural "stuff". Can we / should we as |
| that the kids might get hurt, that we create this | | | | a society enforce what food producers can and |
| un-natural environment for them. Let children explore | | | | cannot market? I don't know. But one thing is for |
| their limitations, and yes, that means falling down | | | | sure, I'm scared, very scared, of trying to raise a |
| from a tree, bleeding a little bit and maybe even | | | | child in this world. I wish we could get this problem |
| having to go to the doctor once in a while. I think | | | | onto the international agenda more. Forget about the |
| children are much more resilient then what we think. | | | | flu-pandemic. There is a pandemic going on right now, |
| This over-protecting creates children that are, for a | | | | and it's obesity.I am a full-time endurance athlete, |
| lack of a better word, "sissies". They are afraid of | | | | working towards the 2012 London Olympics. I |
| everything, they don't want to go outside if it's a bit | | | | maintain a blog, describing my ups and downs of |
| cold or rainy etc. I also think that this over-protecting | | | | training / racing. |