The Health survey for England was published in December and I wanted to share some of the statistics with you.
*the survey covers 10,000 people living in England.
These statistics are quite shocking. So, what can we do to change? One key approach is battling childhood obesity through positive role models and healthier habits.
Be a good role model
“Children with overweight parents are more likely to be overweight themselves.” Without even thinking, children mimic their parents from birth, learning the skills needed to survive. As they grow, their decisions are shaped by the values they’ve learned. For example, a baby deer follows its mother, learning survival skills that will later help it live independently. Similarly, if our children see us lounging on the sofa every day, surviving on pizza and crisps, they will think this is acceptable. We need to make the right choices to effectively battle childhood obesity and be positive role models for them.
Make good choices
We need to teach our children to make good choices. Teach them to choose fruit and vegetables as part of a balanced diet, to choose exercise over inactivity and to get more, good quality sleep. This will mean we need to break our own bad habits. For example, I know I am guilty or driving a lot more than I should, I can make the choice to walk a lot more often.
Encourage a balanced diet
Try not to label foods as “good” or “bad”. It’s important that children learn to choose the healthier options and understand the long-term health benefits. Keep to child size portions, teach children we do not need to overeat.
Less Screen Time
Screen time is one of the biggest contributors to inactivity. Our children are spending more and more time on screens, which negatively affects their social, physical, and emotional development. We can teach them to use screen time in more productive ways, such as finding a recipe for a healthy snack to make with Grandma, researching world records for hopping, or watching a street dance video and trying it themselves. This helps balance screen time with physical activity, playing a vital role in battling childhood obesity.
Get Active!
We should encourage children to be active for a t least 60 minutes each day. It may sound like a lot, but it could be easy to do. Here are some suggestions:
If you can, walk to school instead of driving. If you already walk, you could speed it up: have a speed walking race or ride bicycles.
Visit the local park at least twice a week. With equipment designed to not only encourage children to get active but also build their core strength, the local park is a great place for some free exercise and fun!
Find your local woods and go for a nature adventure.
Whatever you choose to do, get involved too and follow it through.
When we design our projects for our clients we try to incorporate as much physical challenge as we can. We call this “play value”, but it essentially means what will children get out of this equipment. We try to engage the children in good fun, so they won’t even notice they’ve had a workout!
