As a new school year begins, the Y is more focused than ever on making positive changes in children’s health with the arrival of September’s National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month.
In the U.S., more than 30 percent of our children are overweight or obese, threatening an entire generation with serious chronic illnesses. For the first time in history, children may have a shorter lifespan expectancy than their parents. But as alarming as these statistics and trends are, we have opportunities every day to change them.
In 2011, the Y made a commitment to First Lady Michelle Obama and the Partnership for a Healthier America to become the healthiest child care provider in the country. Our goal is to make the healthy choice the easy choice while he or she is in our care. We can help combat childhood obesity by keeping children moving through our extensive and inclusive programming. Check out the YMCA’s fall programs for active programs for you and your child.
What can you do to help your child? The following tips will not only help families live healthier together but help prevent childhood obesity:
- Eat Healthy: Make water the drink of choice and make it easy for everyone to fill half their plates with fruits and vegetables
- Play Every Day/Go Outside: Kids should have at least an hour a day of unstructured play and break a sweat at least three times a week
- Get Together: Eat as a family as frequently as possible with kids involved in meal preparation and clean up. Adults should take a break from electronics and spend one-on-one time each day with their kids, enjoying one another’s company
- Sleep Well: Kids and adults need to keep a regular sleep schedule—10-12 hours per night for kids and seven to eight hours for adults
Together we can work to stop obesity in our children before it starts. Make a commitment to spread health awareness throughout your neighborhood. The Y will keep fighting childhood obesity right beside you.
