The childhood obesity rate has risen to epically drastic and alarming proportions with childhood Type II diabetes becoming a big issue. Over the past 30 years, the childhood obesity rate has tripled, and with this statistic has come many childhood health issues including but not limited to heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, asthma, sleep apnea, and social discrimination. We wanted to give some simple health tips for children, so here are Health Fitness Revolution‘s easy and fun tips to keep kids healthy, fit, and happy.
- Socialize with your children in a physically friendly environment. For example, instead of watching TV or playing video games, go with them walking, hiking, biking, swimming, or play a game of kickball.
- Make sure your children get enough sleep- they need at least 8.5-10 hours a night. Latest research is showing that there is direct correlation between lack of sleep and obesity. It is also proven that children who sleep longer perform better in school and focus more during tests and have better behavioral tendencies.
- Enroll your children in team sports. This will not only teach them responsibility and discipline, but will also ensure they stay active on a regular basis. Good options are martial arts, swimming, soccer, gymnastics, volleyball, track and field… etc.
- Teach your children good hygiene. This includes teeth brushing at least twice a day, flossing, bathing, and regular hand washing. This instills a healthy respect for their bodies and ensures them longevity as adults.
- Focus on healthy nutrition. Make sure they eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables before any special treats. Their diets should include lean proteins, complex carbohydrates and plenty of water. For example: fish, chicken, lean beef, bison, brown rice, low sugar cereals with fiber, greek yogurt, nuts, dark chocolate are good options.
- Have them do active chores around the house such as vacuuming, raking leaves, mowing the grass, scrubbing the floor are excellent ways of teaching them active responsibilities.
- Make sure that your kids read a lot, preferably educational and scientific publications, because their brains need to be trained on a daily basis. My suggestion is also to introduce classical music to them because certain scientific research suggests this will make your children smarter.
- If your kids play videogames, encourage them to play active ones like the Playstation Move or the Xbox Kinect or the Wii Fit.
