Getting Kids to Eat Better and Move More
Parents are facing big challenges when it comes to the health of their kids. Child obesity and Type 2 Diabetes rates are soaring. Kids are now even developing fatty livers–a hallmark previously reserved for late-stage chronic alcoholics. If you are in a supermarket around the time schools let out, you will see a long line of kids in the check-out line clutching energy drinks and piles of sugary snacks that can only be described as “Type 2 Diabetes Starter Packs.”
Eat Better
Policing kids’ diets outside of the home is a tough job. There’s only so much you can do. There are a few things you can do at home, however, to balance out some of the junk food kids love to buy and eat with their friends:
Set a good example yourself. There is the time-honored wisdom that kids “Do what you do, not what you say.” We’re not sure that is always the case, but it doesn’t hurt. Certainly if a parent is eating junk food all the time, it will appear attractive to their kids.
Try to have your kids not drink calories. Drinking calories puts anyone in the fast lane for weight gain. Try to have the norm be to drink water in the house, and save sugary drinks for special occasions.
Try to have some healthier snacks prepared when kids come home from school. If there are cut vegetables and some hummus laid out–kids will eat it. The convenience of having something ready will win out over digging around for a more unhealthy option.
As summer popsicle season approaches, be ready with homemade popsicle forms, and fill them with any of your favorite smoothies.
Try and serve your kids food before they ask for it, or start digging around in the refrigerator and cupboards themselves.
Move More
It’s great if kids get involved in sports, but it doesn’t always take. You can try your hardest to encourage your kids to try different sports, but sometimes they’re just not interested. We have had the experience that just because we are very physically active, it can still be challenging to get our kids to move. That being said, here are our tips to get kids to move more:
Again, set a good example yourself. Even if you exercise regularly, your kids might not be interested in joining in–but it’s a certainty that if you are laying around on the couch all the time, they will not suddenly pop up and start doing air squats.
Do the bulk of your training at home. We have kind of turned into the “anti-gym guys” for a variety of reasons–but one of them is that if you do most of your training at home, your kids will see you training and taking care of yourself. Even if they don’t join in, it’s making an impression in that supercomputer brain of theirs.
If they suggest a physical activity, or they want to jump into your training session, you have to say, “Yes.” This can be hard. We have had the experience of being locked into our own world, wanting to just finish what we’re doing–when one of our kids wants to join. It helps to make the blanket decision beforehand to always welcome a kid that is interested in joining. They should always get a warm welcome to a training session.
Microworkouts! Yes, we talk a lot about microworkouts–but they are really great to get kids interested in movement. They are short (like their attention spans), they happen four times a day (so the chance of a kid witnessing them is good), and they are uncomplicated and easy to do. We have had the experience of our kids suggesting we do a microworkout of air squats and push-ups on a day when our legs are beat and we are just all-around tired. Again–you’ve got to say yes! Kids should always know that you are up for some physical activity with them.
Get outside. Make deals about screen time balanced with time outside. Kids are always exploring what their boundaries might be, and it helps to negotiate these things up front and be consistent with it.
The world is pretty much designed to keep your kids glued to their phones and computers, while taking occasional breaks to consume sugar. We hope these tips help you win some victories in what can sometimes feel like a real battle. And remember–these tips will also work for you.
Until next time
Scott and Lennart