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!