How To Make A Positive Impact On Your Children’s Health and Fitness

22/02/2016

Childhood Obesity On The Rise…

How To Make A Positive Impact To Your Children’s Health and Fitness - LEP Fitness - personal trainer sheffield - kids health

“25% of boys and 33% of girls in the UK, aged between two and nineteen years old are overweight or obese”

Thats according to the most recent large-scale survey in the UK (1).

I know that your reading this post because you care about your children, you want them to be happy, fit, and healthy. In fact you probably think about them every other thought, you worry, and all you want is the best for them.

The truth is it can be hard to know where to turn, what to do for the best, and who to trust. Time is limited and the abundance of information can leave you with a pounding headache and what I like to term ‘information inaction’ (too much info which causes hesitation and procrastination!).

And it gets better…

You’ve got to do all of this for your kids whilst still managing to hold down a job, clean the house, pick up the groceries, walk the dog and all the other responsibilities that come with running a household.

Well that’s where I come in, in this post i’m going to share with you some key tips and tricks to help eliminate some of the guess work, and save you time, so you start to implement positive change in your household – allowing you and your family to reap the benefits of boosted health and vitality.

I promise that if you follow these tips you and your children will be happier, healthier, and much fitter.

Sounds like a good Deal?

Okie dokie…

Role Model

When we are born we are completely dependent on being nurtured by our parents, without their support, and a supply of food and water we cannot survive.

To your children you are a superhero, they look up to you. In their eyes you are Superman/Superwoman. They want to be strong like daddy, they want to be smart like mummy.

Children will emulate you not only with speech, and actions but also when it comes to health and fitness. If you are a couch potato who eats junks there’s going to be a high likelihood that they will follow in your footsteps!

Now i’m not trying to call anybody out here, your trying your best, but the reality is that if we do not step up to the plate and take responsibility, child obesity rates are going to continue to rise.

“Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years” (2)

More worryingly your children could develop a host of physical health problems, including ADHD (3), diabetes, and depression. Also not to be forgotten are the emotional consequences: potentially being outcasted at school and a lack of self esteem due to being overweight.

Now I know you don’t want your children to suffer from any of the above. You don’t have too! Lead by example and show them the way by…

Tip 1: Get Fit Together & Have Some Fun

Exercise burns calories, keeps our bones strong, and our hearts pumping! What better way to get fit than to play some Twister – apart from being extremely fun, the game can burn up to 200 calories in just 30 minutes! (4).

“Playing active computer games like on the Nintendo Wii – Tennis & Boxing can burn 125 calories in just 15 minutes” (5)

Get Outdoors: have a run around in the park, you could play tennis or football or have some fun on the swings! There’s nothing better than having a fitness tracking device for your kid(s). You can all have fun, get fit, and spend quality time together…. that’s what I call a win win win!

Tip 2: Dose Up

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Boost your family’s energy, protect your immune system and provide your child(ren) with essential vitamins to help them focus at school and grow strong bones. Take a multivitamin when you wake up with breakfast. For the kids i’d recommend WellKid and for parents i’d recommend A-Z Complex

Tip 3: Kitchen Fun

It shocks me to see so many of our children (and adults!) who lack cooking skills. In a society where food is omnipresent it’s much easier to let our cooking skills become no existent!

Fast food is available on every corner! We can even put a processed meal in a little box (microwave!)… and 2 minutes later… it ‘pings’ and we have a cooked meal! There’s no wonder our kitchen skills are declining.

Now you don’t have to be Jamie Oliver but learning some healthy recipes and cooking your kids good, healthy nutritious foods can make the world of difference. Head over to my Recipe’s Page for some easy to make, healthy dishes. My kids Ice Lolly recipe went down well last summer! and If you want even more ideas why not pick up a copy of ‘Lean In 15’ for some quick meals that take less than 15 minutes!

Tip 4: Increase Satisfaction

Carbohydrates (pasta, bread, rice, potatoes, chocolate, sweets) will increase hunger and make you reach for even more carbs! Adding protein to each meal will help you and your children stay fuller for longer. Protein is also vitally important for hair, nails, skin, muscles, hormones, and our blood (6). Good choices of protein include poultry: chicken and turkey, Fish: cod, salmon, and mackerel. Eggs and nuts are also excellent choices.

Tip 5 : Funk Up Your Water

It can be hard to get your kids to drink water, especially when trying to compete with the sweetness of a can of Coca Cola! High sugared drinks like fizzy pop and Ribena will have your kids bouncing from wall to wall with uncontrollable energy.

Too many sugary drinks and a lack of hydration will make you and your children tired, and if neglected will lead to mood swings and irritability! doesn’t sound good does it? One way of getting your children to drink more water is to ‘Funk up your water’ by adding in some Zero calorie Water Drops this will help improve the taste of your water. You could also try the pre made flavoured waters for added convenience.

Making It Work…

Taking small steps over a period of time far outweighs any grand gesture. Start to implement small changes into your family’s life-style. If you go to extremes and try to change everything over night the chances of sustainability become much slimmer.

Start by being mindful of your families eating habits, schedule in some time to have some fun exercise, pick up some flavoured water and multivitamins next time your in the supermarket, and learn to cook some healthy family dishes. This way you can educate your children, teach them important life skills, and boost their overall well-being so they can lead a healthy, happy, and prosperous life. They will then hopefully pass on their skills to our next generation.

If you would like further help from myself and want to find out more ways to help your family improve overall health and fitness please send me a message, i’d love to help.

Nick

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