Childhood Obesity
By Julie Comer
Fifteen percent of children between the ages of 6 and 19 are overweight and that number is growing at an alarming rate. Kids are spending less time exercising and more time sitting, whether it is in school, or in front of the TV, computer, or video-game console. Today’s busy families also have less time to prepare nutritious, home-cooked meals.
There are serious health risks that overweight children face such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. These were once thought to only be adult-related diseases. Children with a weight problem are also at risk for low self-esteem that stems from being teased, bullied, or rejected by peers. Overweight children also may be more likely to develop eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia, and they may be more prone to depression, as well as substance abuse.
Another problem overweight kids can face is bone or joint pain. I know some young children who are already dealing with back and knee pain because they are carrying too much weight. Imagine carrying an extra 30-50 pounds on a child’s small frame. If they are not exercising, they do not have the muscle to support that kind of weight and their joints will end up paying the price in the long run.
One cause of childhood obesity is eating unhealthy foods. Even if your children are thin and active, pay attention to what they are eating. If they eat junk and ever stop being active, you will watch the pounds creep on! Many adults come to me saying that when they were younger, they could eat anything they wanted, but now they are older and are gaining weight. What happens is that as we age, we tend to focus more on working and less on exercising. Changing the way we eat would also keep much of the weight off. Much of what we eat is quick and easy - from fat-laden fast food to microwave and prepackaged meals. Here are some really bad things kids are eating daily: macaroni & cheese, pop tarts, donuts, mashed potatoes, pizza, French fries, tater tots, chips, pb&j sandwiches (on white bread no less!), Little Debbie’s Snack Cakes, candy bars, and plenty of sodas.
Attention Parents! You are a huge influence on your child. A child's risk of obesity greatly increases if one or more parent is overweight or obese. People in the same household tend to have similar eating patterns, maintain the same levels of physical activity, and adopt the same attitudes toward being overweight. If you do not make exercise a priority, your child won’t either. If you are taking them through the fast food drive thru frequently, you are not doing a good job at teaching them healthy eating habits!
Preventing your children from becoming overweight means changing the way you and your family eat and exercise and the way you spend time together. Helping your children lead healthy lifestyles begins with you, the parent, and leading by example. My parents may not have known about proper nutrition, but they made me pick a sport year-round which kept me active. Have your child play a sport, or take them to the park, or ride bikes together. Make exercise a priority. Learn as much as you can about healthy nutrition and implement it! After all, isn’t your child’s healthy future important?
Julie Comer is a NASM certified Personal Trainer at Anytime Fitness in
Obsessed with Food
By Julie Comer
For many people, eating is a pleasurable experience that is a biological necessity to sustain life. But for some people, food is torture. What I am talking about is food addiction. Can a person really be addicted to food? Yes; I believe food addiction is one of the major causes of obesity in both children and adults.
How do I know if I’m a food addict? Answer the following questions.
Do you think food is a problem for you? Do you eat large amounts of high calorie food in short periods of time? Do you eat when you are stressed, disappointed, sad, angry, lonely or depressed? Do you feel you your eating is out of control? Do you constantly think about food or losing weight? Have you been overweight for a long time? Is most of your family overweight? Do you hide or sneak food? Do you eat differently in private than you do in public? Do you obsess about your weight? Does the thought of giving up your favorite foods terrify you? Do you have a hard time feeling full? Do you feel like you are always hungry? If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, you may very well be addicted to food. Food addiction is similar to drug and alcohol addiction. Very often for a food addict, refined sugar, flour, and fats become the drug of choice. An addict will most likely feel withdrawal symptoms when attempting to cut down on foods that trigger cravings. If not treated, an obsession with food and body image can lead to binge eating disorder, bulimia, or anorexia.
Treating food addiction is more complicated than treating other addictions. You can’t just eliminate food like and alcoholic would eliminate alcohol. If you don’t eat you will die. We have to find another solution. Changing what we eat is important, but diets and starvation will not work with a food addict. Diets usually just lead to yo-yo dieting and bingeing. What we have to do is change the way we think and deal with our emotions.
Most food addicts eat to feel something. The foods they eat, whether it be chocolate, chips, candy, pasta, fries, etc. are usually chosen because of the way they make us feel. Addicts also eat to cover up emotions or forget about their problems. The problem with that is that the escape is only temporary and after eating, the problem or emotion is still there and we haven’t dealt with it yet. So we eat again. And now we have added another bad feeling: guilt. The guilt can be too much, so we eat again. It is a vicious cycle.
The first step to recovery is to start asking yourself questions and don’t beat yourself up for your behavior. When you find yourself turning to comfort foods, ask yourself what emotion or problem are you trying to avoid. What do you think will happen if instead of eating, you let yourself feel it? If you feel you cannot overcome your problems with food, then you should definitely seek counseling to help you figure out why you turn to food and how to deal with life’s problems in a more manageable way.
Julie Comer is a personal trainer at Anytime Fitness in
juliec@anytimefitness.com
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