When we are born, we are born with a certain number of fat cells. Generally, these fat cells can get bigger or smaller determining how fat we are. Once we have a fat cell, we can't get rid of it except through surgery. Those fat cells are ours for life. And fat cells like to be fat. So if you have a lot of fat cells, those fat cells are screaming to be filled up, screaming to your brain to eat, eat, eat!!! So, of course it's in our best interest to keep our number of fat cells to a minimal level. But there are times during our life when our fat cells can increase in number.
When we are babies and during puberty, our fat cells have the ability to multiply. This means that if children are overfed and under-moved, they are laying down fat cells that they will struggle with for the rest of their life. This doesn't mean that you need to limit the amount of fat and calories in your children's diets. But you do want to be conscious of the food choices you give to your kids and be sure that your children are receiving adequate levels of activity and exercise.
If your child spends all their time in front of the TV, playing video-games or on the computer, you should be concerned. And if all they eat is hamburgers, french fries, chips and chocolate you should also be concerned. Remember this is a critical time for fat cell development. You do not want them entering adulthood with more fat cells than they need! Give them a gift they'll appreciate for the rest of their life. The chances for an obese adult successfully achieving an ideal body weight are low and the process will be very difficult. This is why identifying children at risk for adult obesity is critical to give them a fighting chance at the future fat-loss struggle.
The risk for adult obesity is at least twice as high for obese children compared to non-obese children. In fact, an obese preschooler has a 26-41% chance and an obese adolescent has a 63-74% chance of becoming an obese adult. The older a fat child becomes the more likely they will be fat for life. Parents need to instill healthy eating and exercise habits at a very young age. The physical, emotional and social implications of childhood, leading to adulthood, obesity are too great to ignore. Getting your kids to learn to love exercise and activity and teaching them to enjoy a healthy diet, will set the foundation for life!
On a side note, another critical time for fat cell development is during pregnancy. Many women use pregnancy as an excuse to eat whatever they want - after all, they're eating for two. But no studies to date have found that ice cream, chips, french fries and hot dogs add to a healthy pregnancy. Although during pregnancy, you may need to consume a few extra calories, you still want to make very healthy, nutritious choices for you and for your baby!
And finally, during excessive weight gain, we are also at risk for developing more fat cells. The accepted belief is that if the present fat cells are stuffed, they have no more room to grow and thus start to multiply to make room for the incoming fat. So an obese individual will continue to get fatter and fatter and will find it more and more difficult to lose weight. These are all critical periods during which a healthy diet and an active lifestyle will ensure you minimize the number of new fat cells produced.
If you are lean you will carry approximately 25 billion fat cells. If you are overweight, you will carry twice this - 50 billion fat cells. If you are obese, you will carry approximately 100 billion fat cells. You can see why obese individuals have such a struggle trying to lose weight. Their body actually works against them. Remember, the goal is to minimize the amount of fat cells you have from the beginning.
These days kids hardly get any activity. Most school work involves sedentary activity and with television and video games as after-school pastimes, the temptation to sink into couch potato-land becomes pretty overwhelming for our kids. Check out these startling stats:
- Children today are approximately 40% less active than they were 30 years ago
- 20% of Canadian children and teens are overweight enough to threaten their future health
- A report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal states that the number of overweight children ages 6-11 has increased by 50% in the last 15 years and by 40% in those ages 12-17. Lack of exercise is considered a major contributing factor
- 40% of Canadian children already have at least one risk factor for heart disease and reduced fitness due to an inactive lifestyle
- Children spend an average of 26 hours a week watching television and also spend 25-30 hours a week sitting behind a desk
This is why schools should encourage a high level of physical activity. But did you know that the level of physical activity offered at any particular school is directly related to how teachers and principals view such things? If for example, they don't exercise regularly themselves, the children at their school may not be encouraged to join in such activity either. In fact, only 1/3 of Canadian schools offers physical activity to their students. But 71% of Canadians believe that quality physical education programs should be offered daily to all students.
Think about this. Our kids are in school for six to seven hours a day, five days a week. That's a lot of time to instill either a love or disdain for exercise. Parents should find out what their kids' school offers and if it isn't enough, don't be afraid to say so. Also inquire as to they type of physical activity your children are involved in. Make sure that the activity doesn't include traditional gym class routines like relays where everyone waits in line for equipment or their chance to perform. Make sure that the activity involves routines which keeps everyone participating at the same time and aims for at least 20 minutes of continuous activity. Make sure that elimination type games are avoided which have the slowest or least skilled person "out" first - they're often the ones who need the most practice!
The American College of Sports Medicine guidelines for exercise and children are as follows:
- Children should be involved in daily physical activity like walking or cycling to and from school, performing household chores or running errands
- Children should exercise three times a week for at least 20 minutes with activities that require moderate to vigorous levels of exertion, like brisk walking, stair-climbing, racquet sports, jogging, dance, swimming laps, skating, cross-country skiing or cycling.
- For most children, it's fine to do 15-20 minutes of resistance or strength training sessions twice a week using higher repetitions (25 reps) and lower resistance as long as there's proper instruction and supervision
- Children should stretch on alternative days for 60 seconds each stretch
- Vary the activities to work different parts of the body
- Involve children in deciding what to do
Kids who exercise can experience the following benefits:
- Daily physical activity builds a healthy heart and stimulates muscle and bone growth
- Healthy, fit kids have more energy, sleep better and often have better eating habits than their sedentary peers
- One six year study found that the academic performance of students who exercised regularly had significantly improved compared to students who did not participate in regular physical activity
- It appears that children benefit from better concentration, memory, creativity, problem-solving ability and overall mood for up to two hours following exercise
- The Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute states that exercise can boost a child's self-confidence and self-image. It also reduces aggression and decreases anxiety and depression.
Do as I Say, Not as I Do!
"Go outside and do something. Go ride your bike" you yell to your kids as you watch your favorite soap opera or football game. The "Do as I say, not as I do!" approach doesn't have a very good track record. Children tend to mimic the actions of their parents so, if the extent of your after-work activity consists of channel surfing and munching on chips, guess what fitness rituals your children will develop. The lifestyle habits you're developing in your children today will determine how much junk will clog their arteries 30 years from now.
There are tons of activities that you could easily be doing with your kids. Inline skating, walking, hiking, a trip to the local pool, cycling, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing… You could even design your own workout together including walks to the local park and calisthenics using the available equipment. The possibilities are endless. Try it and I think you'll be surprised at how much your kids love spending time with you and how much your own body will like the extra activity. Not only will you feel better but you'll be proud to know that you're giving your kids the best gift a parent can give - a love for activity and a healthy lifestyle!
Be careful of what you say!
I was sitting having a picnic at the beach recently and heard a very disturbing thing. A young girl asked her mother why she wasn't wearing a bathing suit. The mother responded that she was too fat and needed to lose a lot of weight before she could even consider wearing a bathing suit. Wow! What kind of a message do you think that mother was sending to her daughter? The daughter could easily interpret that response to mean that a woman must be skinny in order to do the things she wants to do. She must be thin in order to be beautiful enough to be seen in public. She must be lean in order to be loved.
Do you realize that girls as young as 7 years are dieting? Where do you think they are getting the idea for the need to diet and lose weight? Sure media plays a big role but it's a lot closer to home than that! A young girl's mother is her most important role model. Values, principles and beliefs are instilled at such a young age and last a life time. If a young girl believes you have to be skin and bones to be attractive, she will struggle with her weight and body image for the rest of her life.
Moms, think before you speak. If you comment on your thighs and your cellulite perhaps your daughter will start examining her own thighs more closely and determine she's not too happy with hers either! If you compare yourself to other women or models in a magazine, your daughter will start comparing as well. If you only drink diet coke, eat no-fat processed products, deprive yourself of all goodies and then go on an all-out junk binge, your daughter will adopt the same practices. Moms - you can't think only about yourself anymore. Mimicking is how most young children learn and develop. You have the power to develop a strong, confident, beautiful human being - on the inside and out or to develop an insecure, unhealthy, negative personality.
Here are some tips to consider:
Learn to love your own body. Easier said than done! You may have 30+ years of media brain-washing to try to overcome but your daughters can still be saved! At the very least, never comment on your own body in a negative manner, especially in front of your daughters.
Never comment on other women's bodies and compare them to your own. Avoid scanning magazines with your daughters and remarking "She's so beautiful", "I'd love to have her legs", or "She's got such a great body". Instead, when looking at magazines ask your daughters if they know that each of the models are made-up for hours and air-brushed to create the final unrealistic image. Discuss with them how distorted and unhealthy this is. Talk to them about the scary consequences of these unrealistic ideals such as poor body image, extreme dieting, anorexia, bulimia, and death. Openly and regularly discuss these issues.
Promote healthy eating and an active lifestyle. Diets don't work for you or your daughters. Instead focus on encouraging your daughters to eat lots of fruits, vegetables and grains and drink lots of water - not because it'll keep them thin but rather, keep them healthy. Avoid exercising excessively. What message are you giving to your daughters if you remark "I've got to get to the gym to burn off that piece of chocolate cake" or if you consistently sacrifice other things in your life because you have to get to the gym? Remember little eyes are always watching and taking mental notes!
Be watchful of the men in your home - your husband and sons. Do they make digs about other women's, yours or your daughter's body? If so, deal with it immediately. Make sure they understand how harmful, hurtful and damaging their remarks can be. Be sure they know that any further comments are inappropriate and unacceptable and will be punished!
If you do notice your daughter is practicing unhealthy eating and exercising habits, stay calm but seek help immediately. Consult with your physician to get a referral to see someone who specializes in this area. There may be something you can do before things get worse.
The vicious cycle of body hatred can be stopped and it starts with you. Each of you has the opportunity to deposit a little bit of love into a little girl's self esteem bank everyday! |
