Hitch Fit Living Magazine Volume 1 July/August 2015 | Page 52

As a parent I know it is my job to set the standard and lead by example in my household. It is up to my wife and I to teach our children proper nutrition and exercise practices for them to take along into adulthood. It has been found that overweight in children and adolescents is generally caused by lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating patterns, or a combination of the two, with genetics and lifestyle both playing important roles in determining a child’s weight. That is why creating healthy eating habits for your children like for snack time give them carrot sticks or celery and peanut butter instead of a bag of potato chips or donuts is so important. By teaching children young you will find that as they grow older they instinctively go for the healthier option when looking for something to eat rather than always choosing junk food. Did you know that 43% of adolescents watch more than 2 hours of television each day? Our society has become very sedentary. Television, computers and video games are main contributors to children’s inactive lifestyles. Make exercising fun, go outside and have races, set up obstacle courses, have dance parties. Do anything you need to do to get your kids off of the couch. James feeding his daughter Capri!