Gone seem to be the days where kids spent a good portion of their day outside playing with the rest of the kids in the neighborhood. Today, you can drive through any suburban neighborhood on any given Saturday and be hard pressed to find kids outside playing. Instead, a good number of them are inside the house either watching TV or playing video games, or maybe even glued to a cell phone (I continue to be amazed at how many young kids have cell phones now). Let’s just face it, while in many states youth sports is big, a good number of kids these days move around a lot less than kids use to “back in the day”.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, the number of home-cooked meals kids consume now is lower than it used to be. With more dual income households comes busier parents and with busier parents comes short cuts at the dinner table, which usually entails processed foods that can be prepared quickly (but are not so healthy).
Depressed yet? Don’t worry, you don’t have to run your household this way!
Tips For Raising Fit & Inspired Kids:
- Kids need real food – lean protein, vegetables and whole grains (not fish sticks)
- Get rid of the soda or any beverages made with high-fructose corn syrup
- Lead by example – if your children see you making healthy choices, they will be more inclined to do the same
- Keep them moving – sign little Johnny up for the local youth soccer team
- Resist the urge to buy video games (what’s wrong with reading a book to pass the time?)