Kids, like adults, are getting heavier. There are steps parents can take to halt growing waistbands on growing children.
You knew it was bad when Cookie Monster stopped singing his signature song, “C Is for Cookie,” and instead taught children that “cookies are a sometimes food.” During the last 20 years, childhood obesity rates have skyrocketed, with the latest numbers indicating 15 percent of children in the United States are overweight. Twenty percent of 2- to 5-year-olds are at risk of becoming overweight, as are 30 percent of 6- to 19-year-olds. Overweight children are at a higher risk for developing hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, respiratory ailments, orthopedic issues, problems sleeping and depression. Often the problem for overweight children, however, is that they are not yet seeing these long-term side effects. And because they aren’t feeling bad or seeing disease, children or parents might not want to make changes, says Dr. Randall Uyeno, pediatrician at Pediatric Associates in Factoria and chief of Pediatrics at Overlake Hospital Medical Center. The biggest immediate problems for overweight children can be depression, teasing by peers and alienation at school.
Pediatricians generally use a child’s body mass index, or BMI, as compared to a growth chart to determine if the child is overweight. Kids above the 95th percentile for their age and sex are considered overweight, while those between the 85th and 95th percentiles are considered at risk for becoming overweight. Because children come in all shapes and sizes and are always growing, it can be hard to tell just by looking at them if they are overweight. Only their pediatrician can diagnose the problem for certain. If parents are worried about their children, they should schedule an appointment with the family doctor.
“The hard thing for us,” says Dr. Uyeno, “is how much to bring up, how far to push because most people already kind of know. And many families, if you even mention it, get upset.” He says often he will recommend taking baby steps toward healthier living.
Children are gaining weight because thy are taking in more calories than they are burning. That much, at least, is the case for anyone gaining weight. The reasons why this is happening are more complicated. Some people might blame the prevalence of the media in children’s lives today. Children have television to watch, video games to play and the Internet to surf. With so much to do in the house, many opt for those choices instead of doing something more active. And when they are watching television, for example, they are exposed to thousands of commercials trying to sell them the latest video games, sugary drinks and salty snacks. Children are exposed to more than 40,000 television ads per year, according to the latest estimates from the article “Children and Television Advertising” published in the “Handbook of Children and the Media.”
With kids inside watching television or playing video games after school and on weekends, that leaves school days for a chance to get exercise. However, in many schools today, the physical education requirements are miniscule, if they exist at all. Because of strained budgets and required academic testing, PE classes fall to the bottom of the list, and even recess can be put on the chopping block. Now, unless they are involved in a sport, children might not even get exercise in school. And exercise at school might not carry over into nonschool hours. Sometimes kids “have not necessarily succeeded with regular exercise types
of programs,” says Mo Pomietto, clinical nurse specialist with the Children’s Obesity Action Team at Children’s Hospital. The team, in talking to teens and their families, has found that normal physical education classes do not offer enough variety. When offered choices like yoga, dance, self-defense classes, Pilates, rock climbing and more, kids can eventually find something they will succeed at and continue participating in. Another reason kids are less active, echoed by many people in the medical and fitness fields, is that their parents do not feel comfortable letting young children run around the neighborhood. When parents were young, it was common to be out with other neighborhood children, playing stickball or capture the flag in backyards, front yards, even the street. Now, because of many things, parents do not want their children playing outside unsupervised. Throughout all the nonactivity, kids continue to eat sugary, salty calorie-dense foods, creating a situation where calories in are greater than calories out, and kids are overweight, unhealthy and sedentary.
Ideally, parents will create a healthy, active lifestyle
for their children from day one, says Mo. If that isn’t an option, however, parents still have choices. First and foremost, says Bethany Hargett, fitness programs coordinator at the Bellevue Club, parents need to become educated.
Learn about the importance of good nutrition and exercise for everyone, yourself included. Parents need to
realize that instilling active habits in children now sets them up for success later in life. It is important, however, not to sell exercise as exercise, especially to younger children. Just incorporate activity into everyday life. Walk, skip or hop to school in
the morning, take a walk after dinner and play baseball,
soccer or go swimming on the weekend. For more active play ideas, visit www.kidnetic.com. The site includes games for kids submitted by kids and a “Move Mixer” that helps kids create their own dance. Parents can also try to help their children find a sport. Not all children are going to enjoy sports, but with so many options, it wouldn’t hurt to try. If your child prefers team activities, there are the traditional basketball, football, volleyball and soccer, but there also might be a lacrosse team, rugby team or crew. For the child that prefers individual competition, see if they enjoy track and field, cross-country running, skiing, swimming or ice-skating. Other options include in-line skating, skateboarding, biking, hiking, kayaking, kickboxing, yoga, dance, cheerleading—the list is almost endless.
Even if your child does not find a sport he or she likes, the important thing is to get moving. If your son likes to read, walk to the library to get a book. If your daughter is an artist, hike through the park to collect leaves and sticks for an art project. Bethany says if parents can’t find something their child likes, try coming to the Club and meeting with a trainer. They will work with parents and children together to find ways to be active everyone can enjoy. Some studies have found that in overweight children, rewards for decreasing sedentary behavior caused more weight loss than rewards for increasing activity. Limiting time children watch television, play video games or use the computer is a good idea, even if parents don’t insist on physical activity when the television is off. Media in the bedroom appears to be a bad idea, also. In one study published in “Pediatrics” in June 2002, it was found that having a television in the bedroom increased the chances of children being overweight, and those children also watched more television than their peers without a TV
in their room. In addition to activity, children need to get proper nutrition. This, again, can be tricky. For young children,
it can take up to 10 tries before they will accept a new food. Introducing fruits, vegetables and whole grains early is important. Keep ready-to-eat fruits and veggies in the refrigerator, and limit the availability of
“junk” foods. It
is also important to eat together as a family, as often as you can. It might be hard to find the time, but by sharing a meal, children are more likely to get a balanced diet. Families that share meals also get that extra family time, where parents can communicate with their children. Says Dr. Uyeno, “Part of the problem of being overweight is people rush through meals. They’re hungry, and they’re going ‘gulp, gulp, gulp,’ and eating everything they
can.” He adds that slowing down during a family dinner becomes more about family time and less about
solving hunger.
Getting kids to consume the nutrients they need without all the fat is not impossible, and small changes can make a big difference. First, remember that up to age 2, children need fat in their diet for their developing brain. They should, in general, receive healthy foods and whole milk. After age 2, however, children’s fat intake can be pared down. The easiest switch is with their dairy products. Instead
of giving kids whole milk, slowly introduce them to 1 percent or even fat-free milk. When preparing meals, broil and bake items instead of frying them, and add a lot of produce to meals. Other tips include giving children sherbet or sorbet instead of ice cream for the occasional treat,
or letting them snack on pretzels instead of potato chips once in a while. No matter what, moderation is key, and do not attempt to completely remove favorite items from a child’s diet. Children can end up overeating those foods or sneaking them into their diet.
Dr. Uyeno also suggests offering healthy snacks and foods when children are at their hungriest. “Food tastes good when you’re hungry,” he says. His other suggestion is to disguise healthy food in other things so children can get used to the flavors. Following are other tips:
Do not use food as a reward or punishment. Instead find alternatives to changing behavior.
Avoid foods with fat substitutes. Many of these substitutes can cause other health problems, and should be avoided.
Let children stop eating when they are full. Having a clean-plate philosophy does not teach kids to listen to their bodies for cues about eating.
Avoid fast food. They are easy and convenient, and kids like them, but even if a child eats a grilled chicken breast sandwich instead of a hamburger, it is full of sodium.
Turn off the television when eating. TV
provides a distraction, so children might keep eating even after they are full. TV also encourages snacking on less-than-healthy products.
Avoid sugary breakfast foods. Try to get kids to eat whole grain cereals instead, or fruit and a whole-grain muffin. Avoid fruit juice that is high in sugar, also.
Keep children from snacking an hour prior to a meal. This will prevent them from being too full to eat a balanced meal.
Amy Posner Wolff, recreation director at the Bellevue Club, says children need structure in their lives. When they come home from school, they need a healthy snack ready for them so they don’t reach for potato chips or cookies. Limits on television watching and computer or video game time need to be set, and parents need to follow these same rules. Parents need to strike a balance between structure and over-scheduling, however, because that can lead
to burn out. Says Amy,
“Balance is the key.”
No matter what, remember that children emulate their parents. “Do as I say doesn’t cut it,” says Dr. Uyeno. If you can set a good example by being active and eating right, your children are more likely
to follow.
The Club offers many different activities to get your children moving. The Aquatics department has swim
lessons and fun camps including Swim, Water Polo and Synchro, in addition to open pool play hours, the outdoor pool all summer and movie nights in the pool during the school year. The Tennis department also offers Junior Tennis Camps, Teenie Tennis lessons and Summer Junior Tennis Team children and teens. In the Fitness department, kids ages 10 to 15 can participate in the Kids for Fitness class, which meets for an hour three times a week.
In Kids for Fitness, participants learn about cardio exercise, weight training, flexibility and balance. They play games such as
racquetball, use the indoor track, swim and more. At the end of each class, the kids get a mini-yoga session. There is also a Teen
Hip-Hop class for 13- to 17-year-olds. Recently, Teen Kinesis has been added. Bethany says teens seemed to be the age group without a lot of programs, so they added this Kinesis class for teens 15 and older. In Teen Kinesis, participants work on total body conditioning, some cardio, speed and agility. In both classes, the instructor also works with participants on body image, self-esteem and posture.
Personal training is also an option for youngsters. Trainers can tailor workouts for children, helping them find activities they enjoy doing and activities they can do at home. Bethany says they can work with kids on obesity, eating disorders, sport-specific training and more. Fitness also has Teen Fitness Camp sessions running through late August. The weeklong camps, for kids 12 to 14, include cardio workouts in the studios, indoor cycling, swimming, yoga, Pilates, speed and agility drills and outdoor games. For more information about any of the offerings for kids through the Fitness department, call the Fitness Service desk at 688-3177. If your children are younger, the Recreation department offers many different activities. For children 3 to 4, there is Turbo Tots,
an introductory class to many different sports. The children do everything from soccer to tumbling, and each session of Turbo Tots is different. Also for children 3 to 5, there is a Creative Dance/Pre-Ballet class where the kids can learn basic ballet steps. Some Recreation classes, such as Small Ball (which is offered in the spring) teach parents how to be good parent-coaches. Amy says parents with
children participating in sports need to praise children on what they are doing right and encourage them on what they need to correct.
Five- and 6-year-olds can also get an introduction to sports through Super Sports, and 6- to 12-year-olds can learn the fundamentals of basketball with BC Ballers. Another popular dance class, for children 8 to 13, is the Hip-Hop/ Jazz Dance class. During the course of each session, the kids learn two different
routines they then perform for their parents. Kids 7
and older can participate in Karate classes, an activity the entire family can enjoy together. There are also many different camps offered through the Recreation department this summer and during school breaks, including an All-Sports Camp for kids 6-12, Pre-Ballet Camp,
Basketball Camp, Hip-Hop Camp,
Volleyball Camp, Karate Camp and Soccer Camp. “Our programs introduce kids to activity and sports,” says Amy. Because these kids are so young, they naturally want to run around and be active. And although they get the occasional child who gets tired, the activities are varied often to keep everyone interested. And, says Amy, “We always have something up our sleeve
if it doesn’t work.”
New this fall,
the department has added a Pre-PE
class, with Wiggle Worms available for children 10-18 months and Bouncing Bugs for children 19 months to 3 years. They will also have a Rainy Day Gym program, where toddlers and preschoolers can play inside at the Club on rainy Tuesdays. For more information about
any of the Athletic Department’s programs, check their listings
in REFLECTIONS, visit www.bellevueclub.com or look at the flyers in the girls’ locker room, child care center, gym and racquetsports area. As always, the Bellevue Club is searching for new, innovative ideas.
If you would like to offer a suggestion
for a program for kids, teens or adults, please fill out a suggestion form and return
it to the Athletic Desk.
The latest trend in exercise tries
to capitalize on something kids already love—video games. Called “exergaming” or “exertainment,” this niche market creates video games for various gaming systems or the home computer that incorporate physical activity. The most popular of these games is Dance, Dance Revolution (DDR) and all its variants, currently available in the arcade, on Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube and PC. With DDR, as it is often referred to, the user “dances” on a pad on the floor along with music and a visual that tells the user
where to step. The game gained popularity in the arcades in Japan and the United States in the 1990s and is now available for home use.
DDR has multiple levels, so even young children can try the game. As users improve and increase the difficulty, the music gets faster and the dance steps get more complicated. New versions of DDR include support for the EyeToy,
a device for the PlayStation 2 that is similar to a Web camera. Users incorporate hand motions into the dance, which are picked up by the EyeToy for a score. Fitness professionals seem to agree that Dance, Dance Revolution can elevate your heartrate, and some people swear
it was the key to their weight loss.
Another exergaming apparatus
is the Kilowatt, winner of the Consumer Electronics Show 2006 Innovation of the Year Award. Powergrid Fitness makes the Kilowatt, a gaming controller that hooks up to an existing video game system. Instead of mashing buttons and using only your fingers to play a video game, you use your entire body, exerting pressure on the chest-high joystick to make your character move. The harder you push, the faster your character moves. The Kilowatt has 20 different resistance levels and comes
in four different styles, including two made specifically for children
7 to 14.
While the Kilowatt is designed for strength training, the GameBike by Cateye gives users a cardio workout. This
stationary bike hooks up to a Sony PlayStation 1 or 2, Xbox or GameCube and is used mostly with racing games. The RPMs on the bike control the speed in the game, and movable handlebars control direction of characters or vehicles. The GameBike has eight workload levels and comes in two models for different heights of users. While exertainment games shouldn’t replace all traditional workouts, it is a good way to get kids moving, at least
a few times a week.
For information about the above products, visit www.konami.com, www.powergridfitness.com and www.cateyefitness.com. Other game options include the Golf Launchpad (for the PlayStation 2, PC
or Mac, www.electricspin.com),
QM-Baseball (for the PC or Xbox, www.qmotions.com), Taiko
Drum Master (for the PlayStation 2, www.namco.com/games/taiko),
Guitar Hero (for the PlayStation 2, www.guitarherogame.com) and Donkey Konga (for the GameCube, www.donkeykonga.com/dk1.html). Although these might not be as strenuous as the above products, they are nonetheless more active than the traditional controller games.
