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May 23, 2009

School’s out — go outside and do something fun

By Crystal Dupré / publisher The Meridian Star Sat May 23, 2009, 10:31 PM CDT

School is out for the summer. As a school kid, I couldn’t wait to hear that phrase. As a parent, those words now have a whole different meaning.

I remember summer as a time I would ride my bike far and wide, extending my boundaries as I explored new lands farther and farther away from my neighborhood. I would be away for hours at a time, eventually coming home around mealtime.

Now, it’s my kids who are out for the summer, and I feel uncomfortable if they are out of my sight (or at least out of earshot) for any length of time. It’s funny, but I had every confidence that I could maneuver my bike through city traffic with the greatest of ease (and without a helmet). However, if there is a car within a quarter-mile of my kids when they are on their bike, I shout at them to get away from the street.

The fact of the matter is I feel better when my kids are playing inside. As a result, my kids have more toys in their playroom than I ever dreamed of having when I was a child. Overall, parents of today can get more “stuff” to keep their children inside than ever before.

Today, parents can get satellite or cable with a plethora of kid’s channels; there are VCRs and DVDs so the kids can watch a variety of movies whenever they choose; there are Nintendos, Play Stations and Wii’s to keep the kids busy for hours; there is the Internet for e-mail, Facebook and text messaging; etc.

With all this stuff to keep them busy, we encourage our kids to stay inside and live a sedentary lifestyle as couch potatoes. As a result, instances of children who are overweight or obese have tripled in the last two decades, according to a Surgeon General’s report.

Weight problems for a child can lead to serious health problems – now and later in life. Overweight children have a 70% chance of becoming overweight or obese adults. More and more, children are being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure. Additionally, reports state that overweight children tend to suffer social discrimination, which can lead to poor self-esteem and depression.

Thinking back, I can remember only a few overweight kids in my classes. Most of us spent our time outside, playing ball or riding bikes. We didn’t eat a lot of junk food. For most of us kids, it was a rare treat to get a soft drink or a few potato chips. We grew up on home-cooked meals with vegetables and fruits.

Today, we have become so busy that it is just too convenient to pick up a Happy Meal with a soft drink for our kids. As a friend once put it, those are foods in the “brown” food group.

Back away from the TV

All of us can use more outdoor physical activity and less time in front of the television. The Surgeon General offers several suggestions to combat our ever-rising weight problem:

• Be physically active. It is recommended that Americans accumulate at least 30 minutes (adults) or 60 minutes (children) of moderate physical activity most days of the week.

• Plan family activities that provide everyone with exercise and enjoyment.

• Reduce the amount of time you and your family spend in sedentary activities, such as watching TV or playing video games. Limit TV time to less than 2 hours a day.

• Encourage your child to eat when hungry and to eat slowly.

• Don't place your child on a restrictive diet.

• Avoid the use of food as a reward.

• Avoid withholding food as punishment.

• Stock the refrigerator with fat-free or low-fat milk, fresh fruit, and vegetables instead of soft drinks or snacks that are high in fat, calories, or added sugars and low in essential nutrients.

• Discourage eating meals or snacks while watching TV.

For more information on the problem of overweight children, go to: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/obesity/calltoaction/fact_adolescents.htm

Before you get on the Internet, though, go outside and do something!

Crystal Dupré is publisher of The Meridian Star. E-mail her at cdupre@themeridianstar.com

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