The Importance of a Fitness Pyramid for Kids

Modernity comes with a price, especially when it comes to children and their health. Modern children often times spend more time watching television than playing outside, and with many schools omitting the recess and play time periods, many are starting to see the effects in a negative manner. Those that aren't aware of a proper fitness pyramid for kids, are often times faced with problems like childhood obesity, type 2 diabetes and so much more. This is an epidemic, and even the United States President has addressed the concern. There are a variety of culprits that seem to push their way into the problem, and getting them out of the way can be rough for parents, teachers, and mentors alike.

Fitness doesn't necessarily require a lot of effort, especially if children are young. Young children can turn anything into a fun time activity. For instance, a lot of youngsters turn cardboard boxes into space shuttles, buses, and so much more. Their imaginations have no bounds, which is why it's so easy to get children to play more and stay away from video games, tablets, and television, which hinder progress for growing adolescents. Pushing the boundaries of their imaginations can assist them with progressing with getting fit and active.

Another great thing to remember in regards to establishing more active rules for children is to look at a fitness pyramid for kids, mainly because it will help get adults motivated to shed a few pounds as well. Believe it or not, many parents have found themselves losing weight while helping their kids get fit because it's easy to have fun when children are at play. By being more involved in physical activities, weight loss comes naturally.

It's not only important to get more active; kids need to make sure that they learn healthy eating habits. Eating well and getting more active go hand in hand when it comes to life long fitness. This is nothing too extreme either; it's one of the more prominent notes that people have learned in these modern times. Look across any major bookstore, or even search online for health tips for kids and adults and you'll find that eating well goes in line with what is recommended by any professional. It's also common sense; you can't expect to make lifelong healthy choices if the majority of foods a child consumes are high in calories, fat, and heavily processed ingredients.

A fitness pyramid for kids is not something that is hard to implement, and it is not going to be drastic for some. In order to move forward with this type of assistance, all it takes is a caring hand and some patience. Start early in a child's development and they will never turn away from their plans of action. Not only that, the peripheral benefits of helping children get more fit can also get adults around them fit and losing weight. Why force the matter? Simply look at the pyramid, get some fun time in, and make sure that the television gets turned off.

3 Reasons You Need a Fitness Curriculum for Kids

Children of all ages seem to have lost that sense of fun in these modern times. Adults also seem to have lost that wonder in their lives, and it's because of technology, work, and so much more. With so many interesting diversions, it's hard to imagine what it would be like to have a little fun by going outside and enjoying the great outdoors. This of course is one of the reasons why there is a growing epidemic of childhood obesity, and problems associated with lethargic children in general. If you see your child is struggling, or you simply want to make sure that your child doesn't become another statistic, then consider the following 3 reasons you need a fitness curriculum for kids.

Reason #1 - Healthy Eating Habits

The first major reason you will want to invest in a proper curriculum is because it will help establish eating habits. Children need to eat a good diet, and most parents and teachers don't have the time or the resources to get this done, without proper instruction. Some might feel that it's easy to understand what healthy foods are and which ones aren't, however, did you know that there are some options that look healthy but really aren't? Knowing what choices are best to make at every age can not only help adults, it will help establish children's lifestyles for the rest of their lives. Developing a plan today will keep kids eating tomorrow and in their adult lives as well.

Reason #2 - More Play Time

Whether a kid is obese or is lacking energy, one quick way to perk things up is to get more playtime in. This doesn't mean turn on the video game console, and it doesn't mean to just let kids roam around wild, it means a little bit of structure. Establishing simple workouts that can be fun for parents and children can be hard, but with proper instruction extra time to move around and have fun without getting boring can be the ticket to losing weight and establishing healthy lifestyles at a young age. This can also benefit parents by getting some quick workouts in alongside their children. More playtime is usually not going to get turned down by adolescents, which is why a good fitness curriculum for kids is a great start.

Reason #3 - Cost Effective

The last reason is simply a matter of financial stability. If you have a sick child, or one that will develop diabetes or many other problems associated with obesity, the medical bills will pile up. Sure, they might not start at youth, but the decisions made today most certainly effect the development and later years of a child as they grow into adulthood. This is not stated so that you put a price tag on your kids, but think about the emotional and financial costs that come with negative effects of unhealthy living, and you can see why it's important to make a change today. Healthy living is not something that is done for a season, it's established for a lifetime, creating a great life for all its worth.

The above reasons are just a handful of reasons why it's important to establish a fitness curriculum for kids at an early age. It's never too late to start, however, so get yourself moving forward and enjoy good health for a lifetime.

Establishing a Fitness Calendar For Kids For Better Health

Today's lives are busy, especially for working parents that are trying to juggle work and home life. Even when both parents take an active role in raising children, things can get out of hand and unhealthy eating patterns and lifestyle choices can creep in. Once these bad things are established, a child can grow unhealthy as well as the parent. In order to reverse things, however, there are a few things that can be done, and it starts with establishing healthy patterns of living, one step at a time. There's no need to turn lives upside down in order to start, it can all be started with a fitness calendar for kids.

The most important thing to start when kids are young is healthy routines. This involves teaching proper breakfast, lunch and dinner separations. Even when things get drastic, it's important to make sure that meals are eaten, especially breakfast, which can really jumpstart the metabolism, keep brains healthy and energy throughout the morning for school or work. Parents have the role of being examples, which is crucial. If a mom or dad is skipping out on the morning meal, a child might reject the option as well, as they emulate behavior that they see. No one is saying that the meals need to be elaborate or restaurant quality, which is a mistake that some parents make, but rather establish simple dining habits from any age moving forward.

Aside from eating right, it's crucial to make sure a fitness calendar for kids is filled with fun activities that do not require a television or video game console. Many people have gravitated towards playing "active" video games and that's no substation for fresh air. If you live in a more "urban" environment, then it's crucial to find solutions outside that are not only safe, but are made for children to run and enjoy the great outdoors. Physical activity doesn't need to be an organized team effort, although that is a good idea. A simple run in the park can suffice, and when parents take an active role here, they too benefit from weight loss and better overall mental health.

Combining the two ideas of nutrition and activity can be difficult. That is why it's important to set up the fitness calendar for kids to meet the needs of any particular schedule. If work requires hard hours, a small-allotted time within the framework can be helpful. No one is requiring children or adults to run marathons or to be supermen or women, but rather take 30 minutes to an hour out of a 24-hour day to get moving and more physical. Establishing an important on fitness and health will go a long way towards making sure children develop the proper skills for the rest of their lives. Making sure that there is a precedent set early on is a matter of simply making a calendar so that everyone is accountable for the time allotted. When children get involved with adult supervision, great things can happen.

Small Individual Changes Can Shift the Scales on Childhood Obesity

A report published by Statistics Canada (Roberts, Sheilds and de Groh) citing that approximately one third of Canadian children between the ages of 5 and 17 years are overweight or obese was a recent focus of media discussion. Various pediatric experts and parents were asked to "weigh" in on both the whys-of, and the what-to-do-about this negatively escalating trend.

Some thought parents are to blame for feeding children bad food and not setting proper limits around children's use of technology (Drudi). Technology itself took much direct responsibility as children's lifestyle behaviours have shifted to computers and video-games over sporting activities (Ubelacker). The food industry was accused of making processed unhealthy food that is fast to serve, yet seriously lacking in any sort of nutritional value (CBC News). Canadian politicians and government were also faulted for not being more like New York's Mayor Bloomberg, who recently banned the sale of super-sized, sugar-laden drinks in his city (Postmedia News).

Then, when it came to tackling this issue, the most frequently recommended approach to preventing obesity in children was the promotion of a healthy active lifestyle and the need to significantly boost children's physical activity. (Ubelacker) A public school Principal who introduced a student "boot camp" was thought to have a great model to follow. It is a rigorous physical education program including "intensive one-hour regimes" for children (Postmedia News). Then there was the broad, general, feel-good solution that would see our healthcare communities, parents and government regulators all working together to resolve this growing problem (CBC News).

Throughout this media discussion, there was but one voice of reason - a Dr. Katherine Morrison - who noted that the resolution of this issue has to start with an examination of "our own habits" (Drudi). While simple, Dr. Morrison's point is critical to the heart of this issue because, on a fundamental level, what we end up creating in our lives, and the world, is the sum of all of our habits, or an accumulation of all of the small choices we make daily in our own lives. How we behave in this arena relates directly to our children, because as parents we guide and encourage the choices our children make as we prepare them to take over this responsibility for themselves as they get older.

However, more important than this observation of Dr. Morrison's, is the fact that changing our habits (and those of our children) does not have to be something that we need to rely on industry or government to resolve. One of the biggest drawbacks of our market-based economy is the many ways it has created in us a dependency on these institutions. One of the primary reasons we have an escalating issue of children who are overweight and obese is because many of us have gotten away from trusting and honouring our own internal guidance systems for knowing and acting on what is best for ourselves and our families.

Critical to our ability to evolve our habits is the idea that we must start resisting the demanding expectations and pressures imposed by both society and our lifestyle choices. As one father who responded to this issue suggests, parents are quite overwhelmed with all that life throws our way, so we turn to quick fixes like processed foods, just to be able to cope (Hunter). These social pressures and lifestyle choices often leave us with the excuse that we don't have enough time. But if you find yourself saying that too often, maybe you need to rethink some of your obligations and what is really most important. As this problem of over-weight and obese children highlights, reacting to stressful life circumstances by cutting corners on what we know is best for us has potentially disastrous long-term ramifications.

But we can all relate to being too busy to do what is really right for ourselves and our families. So one key way to begin to challenge this problem would be to pay attention to all of those times when you say "I don't have time to... ". This is a thought we tend to have when we are avoiding the changes we know we need to make in our lives. Take time to challenge these thoughts; do you really not have time, or have you let other things take priority over something that is really important to you personally? For example, if commuting to and from work eats up valuable time in your day, are there any opportunities that would allow you to work from home? Now this may seem like too big a change for most of us to make or even consider, so the key to making realistic, sustainable change is to go small and slowly.

To shift the scales on childhood obesity we must do as Dr. Morrison suggests, and start with our own habits. In the simplest terms, that means choosing to embrace new ways of doing things over entrenched behaviours. But it is important to understand that for these changes to really take hold they must not be as daunting or overwhelming as some of the experts in these articles would have us believe.

Seriously, how many of us would be genuinely motivated by the possibility of participating in a "boot camp" or "intensive one-hour exercise program"? Especially if you are a child who is not overly active to begin with, engaging in this type of intense activity is more likely to make you feel like a failure and turn you off of exercise for good! There has to be a more realistic, gradual way to cultivate a natural love for physical body movement in our children.

Instead, if a shift is to take place to reverse the trend of overweight and obese children, it must come from small changes that parents and children make, little-by-little, and day-by-day, in their own lives. Sustainable change can only come from small, manageable steps that we can realistically commit to and complete. For instance, if you thought that an increase in activity was one way you could improve the health of your children, then think of a few baby-steps you can take in this direction. What if you just parked father away from a store entrance or encouraged taking the stairs instead of taking the elevator? The secret is to look for small things that are really, really easy for you to implement (if the idea you come up with seems too hard, break it down even smaller!). Also, don't expect perfection, but if you can try different ways of doing things now and then, you will eventually see that you have started to make some very significant changes.

So getting in touch with our own habits is one of the most effective ways for us to cultivate the larger shifts we require in our society. But, while challenging our existing social pressures and lifestyle choices is not always easy, making a small effort to initiate micro-steps towards a new behaviour is a doable and manageable approach that gives everyone an opportunity to be a force for change. Even if every third Canadian took up this challenge, we would surely start to see a reversal in number of overweight and obese children in our country without much need for industry or government intervention.

As an MBA graduate with an extensive career in marketing strategy, a motivational speaker and workshop facilitator, Leah Young has a passion for identifying and disrupting human behaviors and habits that are just not working for us on a personal, societal or global level.

She founded her company Spirichi to offer instruction and ongoing support to individuals who are interested in enhancing their vitality and improving the overall quality of their life. Through speaking, teaching and writing, she provides opportunities for people to practice mindfulness tools and skills and actually re-shape how they think, so they achieve a greater sense of personal direction and leadership over their own lives.

How to Get Essential Fats, Like Omega-3's, Into Your Child's Everyday Diet

Surely you've heard the buzz about Omega-3 essential fatty acids. Turns out most American's aren't getting enough of them. So what exactly is Omega-3, and why do our kids need it? Well, Omega-3 is an essential fatty acid that works in the body to balance Omega-6 essential fatty acids. Here's why: Omega-6 causes an inflammatory response in the body, and Omega-3 causes an anti-inflammatory response. So, as you can see, these two work well together. The problem is, we're getting up to 25 times more Omega-6 than Omega-3! That's not a very good balance, so it's no surprise us American's are so sick all the time!

So, what foods do we get Omega-3 from? Ideally, our bodies get Omega-3's from cold-water fish like salmon, tuna, or halibut. I know what you're thinking. There is no way my kid is going to eat salmon, tuna, or halibut. I hear you. However, before you brush off trying to introduce these fishy creatures into your diet, consider why Omega-3 is so important:

- It plays a crucial role in brain function, as well as normal growth & development in children.

- Having healthy brain function is important for healthy behavioral function (i.e. less temper tantrums, anyone?)

- It can reduce the symptoms of many common childhood ailments like asthma, eczema, and ADHD.

That being said, I suggest you try, at least once a week, to get your child to eat a cold-water fish. Even a couple bites is a fair shot. My children, surprisingly, started eating salmon on a regular basis after they realized it reminded them of chicken (I, of course, remove all the skin, just giving them the meat, so it looks nice and neat on their plate, no sliminess). In the meantime, there are also other ways you can get Omega-3 awesomeness into your kids:

1. Fortified Foods. Often, you'll see foods at the grocery store labeled 'fortified with... '. If your kids like scrambled eggs for instance, I highly recommend you spring for the eggs that are not only organic and free-range, but that are also fortified with Omega-3. Your kid's bodies - and brains - will thank you.

2. Flaxseeds. Flaxseeds contain a version of essential fatty acid called ALA. What this means is that your body has to convert this into the useable form found in fish, EPA and DHA. Flaxseeds come ground up, and are stored in the refrigerator, and can be snuck into about every single thing your children eat. I regularly put flaxseeds in things like oatmeal, pancakes, cookies or other baked goods, and yogurt. A teaspoon here and there will add up!

3. Supplements. Some parents are not into supplementing their kid's diets, and that's fine. We choose two supplements for our boys: A fish oil (naturally strawberry flavored, from Nordic Naturals) and a greens-based multivitamin made with various powered forms of things like chlorella and wheatgrass. It's a great way to add in what the diet may be lacking, because even though I know what my kids are eating at home, it's a different story when they go to school or a friend's house. *Please always check with your healthcare professional before adding supplements to your child's diet: I am not a doctor*

Now that you have some reasonable steps you can take to get more Omega-3's into your kid's diet, do it! It takes a few weeks for the benefits of regular Omega-3 consumption to become evident, so please don't give up. It is also so important to continue once you do start seeing positive changes - this is a lifelong addition, and what a wonderful gift it is to give health to a child!

Natural skin condition Treatment needs an excellent Deal of Patience

Within the world that we have a tendency to sleep in, individuals have the high expectations to induce instant results. Advertising is essentially answerable for this and you see it daily. As through the false guarantees created by the advertisers individuals become short lynx-eyed and begin basic cognitive process that they would get instant results. The urge of obtaining instant results has caused several issues in our society. once it involves the appearances similar factor rings true. However, having patience is best and offers you long lasting results. 

When you wish to induce prevent skin condition many of us wish instant results however you ought to perceive that there is nothing on the planet which will provides you with immediate results. There ar sure treatment tactics which may keep skin condition beneath check to an oversized extent however there is nothing which will provides you with instant results. Skin condition props up once there ar toxins and chemicals in our body that is accumulated over the time owing to our wrong dietary habits. So, however are you able to expect of obtaining prevent the items that are consumed over the years by ingesting wrong food and diet. Toxins in our body do not build up long and one doesn't expect it to induce prevent them in an exceedingly day or 2. However, this doesn't mean that there is no thanks to eliminate them. 

So, obtaining prevent skin condition is somewhat attainable and there ar many of us WHO are doing it and are winning. If the person sticks to a well balance diet and makes persistent effort then positive shot results are often obtained. This can be a protracted term project that may still recover because the person stays consistent. Natural treatments ar terribly effective and there ar many that have knowledgeable about nice results from them. But, most significantly, one must hold back to induce fully cured from skin condition as in any treatment the entire method is altered from within. 

A great tip is to drink many water. The entire purpose of beverage is to cleanse your system. Now, i do know some of us have a drag locution water has no style and it's terribly tough to consume many fluids in the future. So, what you will do is add a lemon or crystal low-cal (no sugar), to your water to create it style higher for a refreshing drink. 

Remember, there ar many treatments that promise to allow you immediate results. You ought to refrain yourself from attempting these treatment tactics and keep together with your well diet to possess long effective results.