Obesity in children is a real issue and we as a nation need a wake up call. However the ad like the one above is NOT the answer. Learn more how to take action to make sure your child is living a healthy lifestyle, read what various experts say, and learn how you can help to spread the word to others as well to fight the obesity in children – with the right tactics.

Facts About Childhood Obesity

A recent study by University of North Carolina researchers examined whether doctors informed parents that their children were overweight. More accurately, it looked at whether or not parents remembered their doctor’s sharing this. The study analyzed government surveys of almost 5,000 parents of overweight children, and found that less than 25% of the parents recalled the doctor ever saying there was a problem.

The children today are being seen with abnormal cholesterol levels and even the beginning stages of atherosclerosis and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services issued new guidelines regarding children and cholesterol and now recommend all children between the ages of 9 and 11 should have their cholesterol levels checked.

“It is a big change, because formerly the recommendation was only for those who had a family history of high cholesterol,” explains Dr. Pamela McCullough, a pediatric nurse practitioner and the director of the nursing program at Stratford University’s Woodbridge campus. “This should be seen by many parents as a sign of our times and what is going on with the lifestyles we are raising our children to lead. It is also a great time for families to learn all they can, and to make changes in order to live a healthy lifestyle.”

Health experts Dian Griesel, Ph.D., and Tom Griesel, authors of the new book TurboCharged: Accelerate Your Fat Burning Metabolism, Get Lean Fast and Leave Diet and Exercise Rules in the Dust (April 2011, BSH) say that even though being overweight or obese is becoming common in America, it is not a normal condition and should be easily recognized by an untrained eye, especially by doctors.

“Being obese or overweight is widely known to come with significant health risks as well as potential negative emotional conditions,” says Tom Griesel. “Fat kids are often ostracized by their peers and this can continue into adulthood. The time to address the condition is as early as possible with the education and introduction of healthy eating and lifestyle choices. Overweight children often have overweight parents and siblings who make it seem normal or perhaps somehow genetic. This belief is wrong. Nobody is destined to be obese or overweight.”

“As individuals, parents, health care providers and a society facing escalating chronic disease and the associated healthcare costs, we all need to assume responsibility for the problem and work together at improving the situation,” adds Dian Griesel.

Take Action to Take Care of Your Children

1. Healthy Diet
Focus on eating a healthy diet. This will help reverse and prevent obesity, which should also lead to a reduction in cholesterol levels. Dietary cholesterol is found in animal-based foods, such as meat, seafood, eggs, and dairy products. Focusing the family diet on healthy meals that include minimal amounts of animal products is ideal. The goal is to eat a lot of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-cholesterol sources of protein (e.g., beans, tofu, nuts, lentils, etc.). Eliminate sugar and sweeteners along with refined and processed foods and replace them with natural whole foods. Just be reducing the amount of “boxed food” makes a big difference.

2. Add Activity Level
Increase your child’s activity level with physical activity. Children should get at least one hour of physical activity per day, which includes such things as running, brisk walking, playing sports, bike riding, etc. It doesn’t have to be organized sports activity like playing a team sports, but playing outside in the yard, or walking to school or helping parents to do yard work are also great examples of physical activities children can do. Read the recommended activity levels here.

3. Limit TV & Gaming Time
Today’s children spend way too much screen time. Once you limit the screen time, many children automatically add more physical activity on their daily routine.

5 Tips to Get Kids to Eat Healthier

“Parents may be surprised by just how much influence there is for kids to eat unhealthily,” explains Jolly Backer, the chief executive officer of Fresh Healthy Vending. “This is why it is so important for parents, educators and other adults to make an ongoing effort to get kids to make healthier eating decisions.”

Here are 5 easy tips to get kids to eat healthier:

1. Get the kids involved in cooking and making the food choices.
Children who have fun and are involved are more likely to remember the information. The more kids are involved, the more they will get out of the experience. To learn about healthy food and nutrition, they can help garden, plan and prepare meals, etc. A fun way to do this is to let your child to pick two vegetables or fruits they want to try out or eat at the farmers market. Let the child explore and learn. You can find recipes for vegetables you’ve never tried before together and trying out new foods and recipes can be a fun adventure and activity to do together.

2. Teach children about healthy choices.
Even younger children can learn about what is healthy and not, label reading, and making healthy choices. Take the time to teach children why making healthy food choices is a better route, teach them how to read labels, etc.

3. Snack healthy.
Children usually need a couple of snacks to keep them going throughout the day. The CDC recommends that kids keep snacks to under 100 calories and it is ideal to have those snacks be low-fat and low-sugar. Help kids learn to identify healthier snack options when they see them, such as fruits and vegetables, yogurt, granola bars, and baked chips.

4. Be a role model.
One of the most important things that parents can do in order to get their kids to eat healthier is to model healthy eating habits. When parents eat healthy, they are demonstrating to their children the ideal way to eat. Consistently modeling this, over time, will influence children, even if it is years later.

5. Influence change and take action.
Work with school administrators and others to influence healthy changes. For example, work with your school to get healthier snacks and lunch options on campus, and work with local legislators to place limits on junk food commercials on television. This will also show your child you are taking this seriously, and taking action overall shows a great example for your child.

#Ashamed Twitter Party Lead by Leah Segedie of Mamavation

The Strong4Life Campaign has purchased billboard ads all over the State of Georgia and has TV commercials such as the video below in hopes to promote a “wake-up call” to Georgian parents about childhood obesity and urge parents to act on it.

One of the slogan reads “being fat takes the fun out of being a kid” and the obese children are pictured in the ads.

While fighting against childhood obesity is is important, Strong 4 Life decided to create ads that are so controversial, they are down right offensive and hurtful to children.

Mom blogging and health-based communities all over the internet are uniting today, Friday, January 27th from 9-10pm EST to petition the @Strong_4_Life Campaign and the State of Georgia to cease a child obesity campaign before it does any more damage to children.

This Twitter event is lead by Leah Segedie of Mamavation who says “Pointing the finger at this poor child only succeeds in making her feel worse. In fact, I would go even further to say that THIS AD CREATES EATING DISORDERS IN CHILDREN. They are made to feel more shame about who they are.”

Join us on the #Ashamed Twitter event tonight.

Time: Friday, January 27th from 9-10pm EST

Hashtag: #Ashamed

Purpose: To protest the Strong4Life Ads in the State of Georgia and chat about obesity and ways to solve problem

How are you taking action to stop childhood obesity?

Sources:
Stratford University
University of North Carolina
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Health experts Dian Griesel, Ph.D., and Tom Griesel
Leah Segedie of Mamavation
Jolly Backer, CEO of Fresh Healthy Vending

We visited family in Texas during the Holidays, and got to see our extended family and friends, and eat our bellies full of Southern comfort food (I had my first ever fried pork chop, who knew you could even get pork chops fried?) and Tex-Mex (Chuy’s and Pappasitos, hello!).

It was a bitter sweet trip.. It was so wonderful to see family, and kids had a chance to see their second cousins shortly, and we saw grandparents and great-grandmother and visited the Presnal family ranch and saw the horses and enjoyed spending time with the family and what Texas is all about. But we couldn’t help but think the upcoming move to Europe, and the missed opportunities in the past and in the future of not spending enough time with the large family we have in Texas. While we love our nomadic lifestyle; the gypsy-style moving around, traveling and experiencing life like not many get to do, it does come with missed opportunities to spend time with family. It especially gets tricky when our families are on the other sides of the world, my husband’s in Texas, and mine in Finland.

For a few days, we enjoyed our family time in Texas and said our farewells to many loved ones as we are once again moving out of the country. Some of the distant family we had seen the last time on a family celebration of us moving back to the US, ten years ago. Time goes fast, and this trip was a grand reminder of that.

To me it doesn’t feel like Christmas without snow and cold, but there still isn’t snow in New York, so it wasn’t like we missed out on an amazing winter wonderland. In fact, we visited Santa’s Wonderland in College Station, and it was cold as New York and the hot cocoa and the outdoor fireplace were spot on.

Kris gave a test ride for a mechanical bull, and we all took the hayride through the Christmas lights galore of the Santa’s Wonderland. I wasn’t too big of a fan of the lights parade and the overpowering amount of Christmas lights seemed too Las Vegas to me, but I loved the Santa’s village, Texas style. Well, I liked the Texan village of cowboy hat stores, S’mores and hot dogs by the outdoor fireplace, country music playing and the true Western experience. To me it had very little to do with Christmas, there were no reindeer sightings nor rice porridge, but it was great to experience Christmas, the Texas way.

The best of it all – to spend time with loved ones, who make even me feel like Texas is home, even though I haven’t lived there for more than a few months.

We are getting ready for our trip to Cape Cod, we will first do a stop in Rhode Island to visit the Mom Generations gang and then heading all the way up to Provincetown in the tip of Cape Cod and staying at the Harbor Hotel Provincetown. But before we go… mama must know some of the best things about summer, and even though these pictures are from our last year’s trip to Rockport, MA, the dog days of summer and the feeling of it is timeless.

Here are 5 ways to live life to the fullest and enjoy the dogs days of summer with the kids right now. This is what we are doing right now – how about you?

1. Let your child be the tourist guide

Visit a new place or be a tourist in your own town. Nothing like pulling out a good ol’ map and checking out the recommended attractions. Forget about map apps for one day; do it like we used to do it and let kids to read the map, plan the route and mark down the places they want to see. You might be surprised what kids want to see and do when you give them the option to be their own tourist guide (we visited more historic sites than I would have!).

2. Swim, swim, swim

Whether it’s the neighborhood pool or a chance to go to the beach – take it and enjoy it. Swimming isn’t just fun, but it is an important life skill that can save your child’s life one day, and the more fun you will make swimming, the more likely your child will excel in it.

3. Eat more ice cream

No explanation needed.

4. Go to farmer’s market & eat the food in season

Enjoy the fruits and vegetables in season, and enjoy picking them up from the farmer’s market. Go to fish market to get the fresh catch of the day. Enjoy what summer has to offer and eat simple, local, fresh food. I hope you do this all year round like we do, but especially do it right now.

5. Let the kids stay up late.

There is something magical about warm summer nights, and no school the next day. Let kids stay up late, if not every night, at least a few nights during the summer. Watch the sunset together. Camp out in the yard. Pull out the flashlights and catch fire bugs. Forget about movie nights, enjoy summer night outdoors.

Guest post by Robin Gorman Newman

I need to feel that life holds infinite potential.
Since becoming a mother, there are days when things feel so predictable, almost stagnant, that I find myself questioning my decision to become a parent. Being a stay at home mom who works from home in the suburbs was my choice, but it doesn’t come naturally. There’s a big world out there that doesn’t involve scheduling play dates, bath time, homework, kids parties, etc., and I crave it.

I adore Seth, my son, with all my heart. No one pushes my buttons like him, both in the utmost positive and utmost challenging way.I couldn’t imagine life without him, yet there was a time when he wasn’t part of my daily existence, and I was okay….more than okay. I didn’t know the difference. Before he was born, I lived a life that was fulfilling both personally and professionally.

When I was a single gal working in the city, I expected I would become a mom, some time after I met Mr. Right, but I wasn’t quite sure what that would look like. And, I certainly couldn’t envision even for a nanosecond how it would truly feel. I’m not sure that anyone really can, until they’re in it.

I’ve always been a Type-A achiever with an active to-do list, and when my husband and I married, I was working in public relations as a Vice President at a NYC firm. I enjoyed the fast paced atmosphere, stimulation and camaraderie of other creative, savvy folk. I thrived on deadlines, and relished the occasional business travel, special events and luncheons with clients and co-workers. My hard work was recognized and I took pride in learning and sharing with staffers and others. To this day, one of my former assistants who I befriended says I’m the best boss she ever had…that I taught her everything I know. That is immensely gratifying.

It was my choice to be home for my son, and to leave behind full time corporate America. I’ve always been entrepreneurial by nature, and taking initiative is something I do well, so it’s not hard for me to come up with ideas for business ventures. But, since I’m not a loner by nature, being home sometimes wreaks havoc on my spirit. Yet, I have my steadfast priorities.
Nowadays, my top job is to teach my son, and it’s a far harder task than working full time. He’s a busy eight year old boy who asks countless questions I didn’t see coming. He has an imagination that puts mine to shame, and I admire his ability to think on his feet and out of the box. He keeps me on my toes, and I love him for all that and more. He also knocks me out some days, and since I endeavor to be the best mom, it’s easy to get caught up in that role and experience self-doubt about other things I aspire to do or achieve. This is when I find I begin to question that life holds ongoing potential…for me…that is. I know in my heart that, other than raising my son, good things can and will still come, with effort and clarity on my part, even though I have my moments of uncertainty. I need to give myself permission, as an adult, to dream big…something that kids do all too well.

While working on my own ongoing self-discovery and pursuits, I never lose sight of Seth and what I most want to share with him.

I endeavor to reach deep down within myself to impart to him all that life can offer. I want him to know that the sky’s the limit in terms of what he might pursue. I want him to know that he should go for his passions with gusto. I want him to know that the road isn’t always easy, but if you believe, you can achieve. I want him to know that failure isn’t the end of the road…it makes you stronger if you learn from it. I want him to love and be loved and do good in the world.

And, in my efforts to instill these beliefs in him, I work to reinforce them within myself. Some I do a better job of than others. But, when I’m 92 in a rocker (G-d willing), I want to look back on a life I lived without regret (at least as much as possible). And, I especially want to know that the future holds wonder and excitement for Seth, and that he will embrace it with the impish smile he had when he was born and is on his steadily maturing face still today.

Guest post by by Robin Gorman Newman. Robin Gorman Newman is the founder of MOTHERHOOD LATER…THAN SOONER, a leading website, e-zine, blog and community for those who became a mom at 35+, whether for the first time or again. Follow her on twitter @rgnewman. Robin became a mom at 42 and lives in Great Neck, NY with her 8 year old son Seth and husband Marc and Smokey the Cockatiel. She is also the author of How to Meet a Mensch in NY and How to Marry a Mensch (decent person), and has been seen on The Today Show, CNN, Good Day New York, etc.

I rarely look back on time and ask myself “where did the time go”. Because usually my life is full of adventure, new places, new people, new events and it never seems to be still. I like it that way. I like it that I take changes and try new shortcuts (and get lost and find something unexpected) or make fast decisions to do something fun. My family is my constant, my anchor, everything else is a moving scenery I enjoy.

I turned 35 last week. I had some medical testing done to see how well I am doing with my broken lungs on my birthday. And the first time I was thinking, where did the time go. I think I was just afraid to hear bad news.

There are days that I feel old just because how much I have seen of life, of world and of people.

Some days I feel very young, and I never want to give up on that “young” feeling inside me, that let’s me joke, take things lightly (at least not dwell on things if not able to be taken lightly) and see world as a constantly evolving place of unexpected beauty.

I try not to live in past, and almost more important is not to live in the future. You know, live in “then when”. (Like: “Then we will travel to Europe when our kids are older”, “Then I’ll treat myself a nice haircut when our car is paid off”, “Then I’ll quit my job and be a stay-at-home-mom if I get pregnant again”).

I wonder if those times ever come to people.

Sure, there are things I wish to do in the future, but if I focus on them too much, I’m afraid I loose today.

(No, I didn’t hear bad news last week. Well, no news actually. You know how they are, they never give out your test results, you need to wait to see your doctor. I will have my appointment later today.)

I was at the Blissdom Conference in Nashville last week too. I was there with Collective Bias and one of our clients, CoverGirl, and we organized a professional makeup, CoverGirl’s Smoky Eye Look for Blissdom attendees. Considering how many women we absolutely thrilled to get their makeup done, especially right before they got to meet Harry Connick Jr, I would say it was a huge success. I had a blast!

Erika Lehmann, Chic Shopper Chick,
is our face for the CoverGirl Smoky Eye Look
and she took this picture of us two.

And I have to admit, I loved working on the other side of the table – creating something fun for bloggers, instead of being on the receiving end as a blogger. I really realized how much more I love supporting other bloggers, helping them and promoting them – than doing that for myself. I don’t want to be a superstar blogger, but I want to help others to be that. I am not ready to give up this blog yet, I love writing here, but for the first time for a long time, I don’t feel pressure to do this-and-that to my blog. I like it as it is, and continue doing what I like to do with it, not what “I should”.

I rushed home on Saturday. My flights were cancelled due (upcoming) bad weather, so I took the first flight out on Saturday that I was able to and changed my route and was home already on Saturday evening. And was able to go skiing with my family at Hunter Mountain at Catskills on Sunday. While I somewhat felt I betrayed my blogging tribe by doing so, I knew it was the right thing to do.
As days go by and years go by, my anchor in life is my family, and that always comes first.