HEALTH TIPS
TV TURNS KIDS TO FLAB
AUSTRALIAN children are becoming the new " Norms " of society and are among the fattest in the world.Nutrition experts say New South Wales children as young as eight have been treated for being excessively overweight. Obesity in children and adolescents was a much bigger problem than so-called slimmer's diseases, including bulimia and anorexia nervosa, said Prof. Ross Shepherd, director of the Children's Nutrition Research Centre at the Royal Children's Hospital, Brisbane. There was a direct link between increasing obesity in children and lifestyles based around television and computers.
"In many cases we are talking about children who flop home from school and watch television for 25 hours a week." " Kids in our generation are becoming more sedentary."
Countries with increasing populations of fat children including New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom.
Dr. Shepherd said most overweight children were destined to become fat adults and obesity in children was " a sleeping giant" which needed to be addressed before it was too late.
Obese adults had shorter lifespans and also ran the risk of several health problems, including hypertension and adult onset of diabetes.
" There seems to be a misdirection of health programs towards the adult population, but by the time you've already got your coronary arteries blocked. They need to be directed towards kids - as they age there is a significant morbidity involved if they are obese - and we need to do something about it." Nutritionist's " treated " obese children by significantly increasing exercise rather than reducing their food intake. " We let them grow into their bodies rather than restrict their diets." Unfortunately, parents often misdirect their efforts by stopping obese children eating dessert rather than sending them outside to play.
Dr. Shepherd said there were fixed tests to decide if a child was obese and concerned parents should contact their family doctor. Ongoing health programs to combat obesity included exercise classes before school and education on both diet and nutrition.
S.M.A.S.H. CHILDREN REMEMBER...................... SAY NO TO DRUGS and be SMART.
THE MAGIC POWER OF " WANT "
Why does one athlete succeed and another fail? Why do some athletes constantly improve , and others hit an achievement barrier which is obviously short of their potential? What makes the difference in becoming a champion or becoming an "also-ran"?
THE ANSWER lies in the fact that every champion WANTS to be a champion. Every elite athlete owes their success to personal motivation - thus the desire to succeed. If you want to excel in sport, or for that matter business, the most important thing is to believe in your own potential ability. You must set your goals, and strive to achieve these goals even to the point of obsession.
So, HOW do we go about creating and maintaining this powerful desire to reach the top? HOW do you develop the all-consuming passion of champions such as Casey Stoner or Tiger Woods?
The first step is making the decision to become a champion, and carefully planning the means to achieve this end. The decision to become a top athlete requires total commitment. You must really WANT to achieve success, and do everything you can physically, mentally and emotionally to achieve the success you want. Wishing to be successful is not the same thing; dreamers will not succeed without complete dedication. This dedication will not be easy; sacrifices must be made and you will continually push yourself harder and harder, because you WANT to be successful.
MOTIVATION is one of the primary results of wanting to succeed. Motivation can really only come from within and can be developed by:
- Learning as much as possible about the sport you play.
- Becoming excited about your desire to be successful.
- Talking to people involved in the sport.
- "Hero - Worshipping" the top competitors.
- The highest level of fitness.
- Saying no to Drugs.
Once you are completely motivated to succeed you can develop the full extent of your potential abilities. The human body and mind has enormous potential to achieve anything you really want, if you are willing to work hard at it.
Champions are not born champions, they achieve their success through weeks, months and years of hard work in an effort to achieve their goals. Most of us seldom use more than 25% of our potential ability, and we perform reasonably well within that 25% , but to achieve our goals we must go well beyond that usual limit.
The most important factor in developing potential is to BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. You must convince yourself that you CAN achieve your goals, you can overcome any obstacles, and are absolutely NO limits to your potential.
Always be conscious of your self - talk, that is; the way you talk to yourself, and tell yourself you CAN and WILL achieve what you want. NEVER, EVER, allow negative thoughts or doubts cloud your positive way of thinking. To take this technique one step further, visualize yourself already at the level of achievement you desire ..... picture yourself winning that Grand Final, Sinking that twenty five foot putt to be number one in the world, or putting over that Final Goal, for example, and evoke the feeling of triumph and satisfaction of achieving your goal. Remember to be completely confident and positive, and before you know it you WILL be making rapid progress towards your goals.
I hope that I have given you food for thought, now it's up to you.
GET 'EM MOVING
Remember how active you were as a kid ? Racing around all day and never stopping until your head hit the pillow? Now , think about your kids. Are they glued to the telly or computer screen? Here are some ways to get them up and moving!
DO I REALLY HAVE TO?
If your child hates to exercise, or other kids tease them because they`re not coordinated, try not to let them sit in front of the TV or computer all weekend. they need fresh air! Encourage them to go outdoors - maybe for frisbee, tennis or bike-riding.Letting our children become overweight is unhealthy and a bad scenario for when they`re older.Its easier and better for kids to lose weight through exercise than hop on the nasty treadmill as grown-ups.
During the past twenty years childhood obesity has increased by 20 per cent, etimates Professor David Wilcken of Sydney's Prince Henry Hospital. In Australia,5.7. per cent of girls and 7.4 per cent of boys are obese. Experts say our kids are in such bad shape because of too much TV-watching and video/computor-game playing.Parents are wary of letting kids play in what they fear are unsafe environments and there's a lack of recreational programs at school. But it's not too late to stop your kids from sprouting into couch potatoes.
HERE ARE A FEW IDEAS:
Support school fitness programs
Join forces with other parents and voice concerns to school authorities if they announce cutbacks to fitness programs. Discuss practial solutions: can Billy's dad coach a soccer team?
Healthy, fit kids perform better academically.
Encourage team and individual sports
Children who play only team sports often have trouble remaining active after they leave school.
Check out community programs
Sporting clubs and public facilities offer kids a lot-- including the chance to make friends outside school. For preschoolers, parks and playgrounds are places of fun, climb, jump. By age six, they`re ready and more organised games such as tennis,netball and soccer as well as solo sports, such as swimming. Even house chores are a form of activity, wether it be raking leaves or washing the family car. But best of luck trying to run the last two past them!
Give fitness-oriented gifts
Kids love to get and share gifts like bikes, skipping ropes,tennis racquets and balls, rollerblades etc.
Set a good example
Kids who see their parents enjoying physical activities are more likely to be active. Exercise with them! Make good use of weekends and afternoons playing touch footy, climbing trees or just walking somewhere together.
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