Matt and I stayed up late last night doing what I call a little "vision casting". After watching the two hour premire of the Biggest Loser, Matt and I were full of thoughts, ideas and concerns regarding obesity in America. Specifically in children. And even more specifically, in our children.
As you know by now, Matt and I have really been hitting the gym hard for the past 6 months. We both are determined to get in and stay in great shape. It has not been easy. After the honeymoon phase, during which the weight flew off and each workout felt like a high, I entered into the "holy crap! Am I going to have to work this hard for the rest of my life?" Followed by the "I think I would rather be fat" mindset. Thankfully, I pushed through and now I'm in the "finally seeing positive results and loving the way exercise makes me feel" phase.
So back to the topic of childhood obesity and vision casting. (I apparently got distracted by the over-usuage of quotation marks, sorry.) Matt and I talked for about an hour tossing ideas back and forth about how to raise healthy, active children. Now please understand, I in no way believe that a parent sets out wanting their child to become overweight; in fact, I think it happens from many different reasons that I won't begin to pretend to be an expert on.
But I do have ideas as to how we are going to raise healthy kids. First, I think the number one more imporant thing Matt and I can do for our kids (in this area) is to be healthy and active adults. If going to the gym, playing basketball in the driveway, taking after dinner walks, and eating our veggies is a normal part of our lives, then it will be a normal part of their lives, right?
Second, I think it's important to keep healthy, yummy snacks on hand for a quick fill-up between meals. This includes fruit, yogurt, mozza string cheese, nuts, etc. I didn't learn this important tip until adulthood (like this year!) and I wish I had understood this idea sooner. The truth is, I get hungry every 2-3 hours. Even when I eat high-fiber, high-protein meals, I still find my body in need of a pick-me-up every so often. So healthy, quick snacks are good for me! (Right now, I'm chowing down on celery and peanut butter!)
As a kid, I was a "secret eater". Due to a good metabolism, no one knew my terrible habit of grabbing sugary snacks between meals, until I continued this habit into college life and my hips showed the evidence. Yikes! This is still a struggle for me! On a particularly stressful or emotional day, I find my way to the snack pantry, grabbing a bite here and there until I finally sit down at dinner and wonder why I'm not hungry. Not a good habit.
And finally, because this post is getting rather long, I think it's important to have fun as a family being active. Whatever that looks like for your family. For us, we play outside on the swingset, take walks after dinner, and of course, spend time at the YMCA.
As you know by now, Matt and I have really been hitting the gym hard for the past 6 months. We both are determined to get in and stay in great shape. It has not been easy. After the honeymoon phase, during which the weight flew off and each workout felt like a high, I entered into the "holy crap! Am I going to have to work this hard for the rest of my life?" Followed by the "I think I would rather be fat" mindset. Thankfully, I pushed through and now I'm in the "finally seeing positive results and loving the way exercise makes me feel" phase.
So back to the topic of childhood obesity and vision casting. (I apparently got distracted by the over-usuage of quotation marks, sorry.) Matt and I talked for about an hour tossing ideas back and forth about how to raise healthy, active children. Now please understand, I in no way believe that a parent sets out wanting their child to become overweight; in fact, I think it happens from many different reasons that I won't begin to pretend to be an expert on.
But I do have ideas as to how we are going to raise healthy kids. First, I think the number one more imporant thing Matt and I can do for our kids (in this area) is to be healthy and active adults. If going to the gym, playing basketball in the driveway, taking after dinner walks, and eating our veggies is a normal part of our lives, then it will be a normal part of their lives, right?
Second, I think it's important to keep healthy, yummy snacks on hand for a quick fill-up between meals. This includes fruit, yogurt, mozza string cheese, nuts, etc. I didn't learn this important tip until adulthood (like this year!) and I wish I had understood this idea sooner. The truth is, I get hungry every 2-3 hours. Even when I eat high-fiber, high-protein meals, I still find my body in need of a pick-me-up every so often. So healthy, quick snacks are good for me! (Right now, I'm chowing down on celery and peanut butter!)
As a kid, I was a "secret eater". Due to a good metabolism, no one knew my terrible habit of grabbing sugary snacks between meals, until I continued this habit into college life and my hips showed the evidence. Yikes! This is still a struggle for me! On a particularly stressful or emotional day, I find my way to the snack pantry, grabbing a bite here and there until I finally sit down at dinner and wonder why I'm not hungry. Not a good habit.
And finally, because this post is getting rather long, I think it's important to have fun as a family being active. Whatever that looks like for your family. For us, we play outside on the swingset, take walks after dinner, and of course, spend time at the YMCA.
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