OK, let's take a moment off from incessantly worrying about our weight and level of fitness. Something MUST be done about the growing obesity epidemic that is affecting the children of this country. There are many causes for this, and we can debate until we are blue in the face of what needs to be tackled first. However, in my humble opinion, here are the priorities (in no particular order):
Promote physical education in schools. Students are a captive audience and lifelong physical fitness needs to be part of the curriculum until graduation from high school. Yes, we need to educate the future scientists, doctors, teachers and businesspeople of the world. However, we do not want our future leaders to be hamstrung by poor health throughout their lives in an effort to promote higher standardized test scores.
Get them moving. Is this really a problem? Watch the reaction of a teenager when you ask them to walk three blocks to a friend's house instead of driving, riding a motorized scooter or having someone come pick them up. In most cases, they will look at you like you have sprouted a second head. We need to encourage our kids to incorporate physical exertion into their daily activities. The simplest form of encouragement may involve parents saying "no" when they ask for a ride down the street.
Get control of the school lunch program. The garbage kids have available to them at the school cafeteria is unacceptable. Demand that your school board take action to make school a junk free zone.
Encourage "real" play. If your child can beat everyone in Playstation's Madden Football, but they can't run a mile, you have a severe problem. Limit the amount of TV they watch and video games they play and push them outside to participate in real sports (even if it is non-competitive).
Clean out your cupboards. Children get fat from eating too much and exercising too little. Since they probably eat 2/3 of their meals at home, parents must do a better job of having the right food available, limiting the junk food they keep in the cupboards and having sensible, sit-down meals together.
Set a good example. Your children look to you for examples of good behavior and how to act as a future adult. Parents need to make sure they are exercising and eating well in front of their kids, so it becomes the standard for their lives after they leave home one day.
All of these efforts seem like common sense, and they are. However, we as parents are not being proactive enough in solving the problem. This nation is on track to have an entire generation of unfit adults within the next 20 years. The resulting health care costs and lowered productivity that will result from this fact will be detrimental to our society. The time to act is now. Do your part!
