Supporting Children's Development

Children have no choice what family they are born into or the success of their parents while they are growing up, but what they can do is reach out for help if this does grip their life chances.

This problem is discussed in recent blog by Mark Bertin, M.D., where he discusses how children are the future of this country...if they make it to the future. He then touches on different areas that need more focus in children's lives in order to set them up well for the future.

One specific area is a safe and stable home environment. He argues that often time adults who are at-risk need to be educated on how to successfully develop their children because they did not receive that when they were young.

This problem is persistent even here in Fort Collins, and one organization recognized that need and is doing something about it. The Matthews House is a nonprofit organization that focuses on empowering young adults and families who are in that transition period so that they can become stable and shape positive futures for themselves.

Sometimes it's not that the children have no desire to succeed in life, and do that in a healthy way, it's they are just never given that opportunity due to the life circumstances they have been dealt.

Practical Problem Solving

If you live in Colorado Springs, Colorado there is a perfect opportunity for your kids this weekend to get out and be active while having fun doing it.

This Saturday, September 29 there is a free soccer class being offered to children ages 10 months to 12 years old. The event is being held by an organization called Soccer Buddies.

It will be at 5025 North Academy Blvd from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and is open to all skill levels.

According to the owner of Soccer Buddies, Julie Colangelo, their goal for this hour of soccer is to get kids to develop fitness habits at a young age and think of it as fun without even realizing the fitness
development that is occurring.

It is definitely an event worth checking out that will encourage kids to find something active that they can enjoy and do with their friends as well. Teaching kids to be social while being active is a great way to get them engaged into a lifestyle of fitness.

Sugary drinks are still a problem

Cutting back on sugary drinks such as soda is something that even I find hard to do. Sometimes it is the only type of drink that sounds refreshing and has flavor. However, I do notice a huge difference in how I feel and even look when I begin to cut back on those types of drinks.

Another blogger, pediatrician Dr. Claire McCarthy, posted about this topic as well and pointed to three different studies regarding the effects sugar-sweetened beverages have on children. One of the ones mentioned was conducted in the Netherlands and it found that when they gave normal-weight kids one can a day of a sugar-sweetened beverage, they gained more weight than those who got a sugar-free beverage over a 18 month period.

McCarthy then emphasized that these drinks are not the contributing factor to obesity but they are definitely a heavy contributor.

I think it's time that I start listening to this advice geared toward kids, because I do not want these decisions I keep making to affect my long term health. Adults are just as susceptible to the increase of obesity and as a younger adult I need to be setting an example of a healthy lifestyle.

Next time, it should be a clear choice.

                                           This image was retrieved from http://dustinmaherfitness.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/water_soda.gif 

Activities to stay active

I realized that up until this point I have not given a practical way to engage children in active activities to prevent these potential risks from happening, so that will be the focus of this post.

Since I live in Colorado I feel that I am slightly biased towards the great activities we have available at our fingertips, but I want to make suggestions of fun things to do regardless of where you may live. Sometimes the hardest part about remaining active, and helping children to remain active as well, is thinking of fun and unique things to do which is why I am here to help.

Here are some of my suggestions:

• Take a bike ride to the park and enjoy a picnic
• Put together a scavenger hunt in your neighborhood
• Play laser tag or mini golf at a local indoor amusement park
• Play hide-n-seek inside

I found one website that lists 25 Easy Activities to Keep Your Kids Active, which is just one of the many great resources that will help spark ideas of how to make being active and healthy something enjoyable. 

It does not matter which activity you choose to do or how long you choose to do it for, it just matters that you get up and do it. One activity can make a lifetime of difference.

Health beyond the family

Many of these blog posts so far have been focusing on what can be done within families or at schools to take preventative measures towards decreasing obesity in children. However, I have not placed any focus on what fast-food restaurants can do in this area. Luckily, someone else was already a step ahead of me--Florida Hospital. According an article by Marni Jameson in the Orlando Sentinel, the hospital is partnering with non-health enterprises, the Orlando Magic and Chick-fil-A, to encourage kids to eat better. Chick-fil-A has made a new kid's menu item, which are grilled chicken nuggets instead of the breaded and fried nuggets.

The way in which the Florida Hospital is going about this is giving restaurants a "Healthy 100 Kids Seal of Approval" meaning that they passed the American Dietary Association guidelines with their menu item. The hospital is using the positive influence that both the Orlando Magic and Chick-fil-A carry to encourage children to eat healthier.

I think this is such a great idea on the hospital's end because they are taking advantage of the weight that each one of these different entities carries and using it to promote lifestyle changes. I think too often people surpass the power and the opinion that fast-food restaurants have on the habits that people develop, and seizing this opportunity to turn it into something positive is brilliant.

Parents and their kids' health

As I sit here and begin to contemplate many of the eating habits that I have, I realize they had to have come from somewhere and I think that somewhere was from my parents. Those habits are both good and bad, but they are definitely something very specific that I remember my parents doing when I was younger. For example, my dad loves to drink soda and has many throughout the day. Growing up I have always thought that was a normal occurrence, and I think that is why soda is a big part of my diet as well. However, my dad has always been fit and active, as well as encouraged us to do the same, so there was never an association between soda and being overweight.

Unfortunately, not all children have parents who are willing to talk about health concerns with them or to teach them how to eat healthy and take care of themselves. The Advisory Board Company's website discusses this very topic of parents taking charge of their household and educating their children and families regarding healthy living. The main problem this article addresses is the fact that parents are fearful of having this talk and so therefore, they shy away from it and deny the obesity problems that their kids are having. Children's Healthcare of Atlanta launched a movement called Strong4Life in order to encourage parents to create healthy families. The best way to help parents and kids avoid this growing epidemic in our country is to get them to be proactive about it and take the necessary steps ahead of time rather than trying to reverse bad habits.

Kids and Soda

Soda, soft drink, pop. Whatever name you have for it, it all has the same common ingredient--sugar. Sugar and caffeine combined make for an enjoyable and refreshing drink that gives the impression of a thirst-quencher, but you are often getting more than you paid for. Schools are becoming passionate about making sure their kids know this negative aspect and are providing ways to avoid them.

School systems in Portland took the step of banning sodas from being sold in the vending machines. In the Letters to the Editor section of the The Portland Press Herald, one reader made the comment that the government is taking away a degree of freedom of choice when controlling what drinks students are permitted to buy at school. In a sense I would agree with this reader because America is founded on freedom, and part of that freedom is being able to live in a way that we desire to live even if it may not be the healthiest for us.

On the other hand, it would be beneficial to teach kids how to say no to those types of drinks and encourage that in a healthy way. In Austin, Texas an elementary school is hosting a 'No Soda Challenge' that students and families can choose to be a part of. While there is no soda available for purchase at the elementary school, it is a fun and encouraging, yet non-forceful, way to push kids into a healthier lifestyle. I think there still needs to be that degree of freedom on whether or not a kid is able to drink soda, but that choice should not be made by the government but by the parents of those kids.

Health beyond just food

Being considered healthy goes beyond just nutrition, it has to do with one's physical, spiritual and mental being as well. The past two posts have focused on the nutritional aspect within younger children today, but today's focus will be more on the physical aspect of health. Physical activity, I think, is so important to teach kids at a young age so that when they do move out of their parent's home they will continue to value that aspect of their life and maintain it in a healthy way. Getting children involved in a sport is a great way to do that, but now there tends to be risks associated with certain sports. The question raised in my mind because of that is this: are these risks stopping parents from allowing or even encouraging participation in athletic activities or outdoor activities?

Today I came across an article written by Fox13 in Memphis regarding Pee-Wee football and the risks that are involved with it. The story discusses how football can sometimes have a traumatic affect on a child's brain from the hits that they take while playing the sport.

I have had personal experience with this within my family when my younger brother played football. He got concussions during his Pee-Wee seasons and then another one in high school, and they were of such high concern that he had to quit playing the sport all together. However, instead of giving up on sports entirely, my parents encouraged him to play a sport that did not involve hard hitting so that he would remain active.

One thing this article does discuss is the fact that these injuries are inevitable but coaches are doing as much as possible to teach them the safest ways to continue to play this sport. Coaches can be a huge impact in the safety area, because if a kid trusts his coach with teaching him how to accurately play a sport that kids won't have to avoid the sport all together. Another huge aspect within such a dangerous sport is parents who will not push the limits of their kids but know when to pull them out of something that could potentially have a negative effect for the rest of their life.

Kids should not have to stop playing potentially harmful sports or stop being active, but just understand the limits that some team sports present.