Keeping Our Kids Healthy And In Shape

As a kid, it's important for you to be healthy so you can grow properly and not have any health problems, like diabetes or obesity. Here's an article on how-to stay in shape and stay in shape and be healthy as a kid.

Steps

1. Be active and get some exercise. Sign up for an aerobics sport, like football or soccer. If you aren't into those, try gymnastics, cheerleading, golf, baseball or softball, and tennis. If you can't participate in those sports for any reason, try finding some time to get out and ride your bike, run, or even play a game like tag with friends. Just remember, aim for 60 minutes of exercise a day at the minimum.
2. Eat healthy and nutritious foods. Try to limit eating junk food, like French fries, hamburgers, and soda pop. Only eat when you're hungry. If you eat too much without noticing, you will not be as confident of yourself. If you seem to always be hungry, try eating fruits or vegetables, or you might just be bored or need water. Always try to keep track of what you eat.
3. Be confident and patient. You will always feel best about yourself if you believe in you. Remember, not everybody was made to be tall and thin. You may be tall and thin, but those who happen to be on the bigger side matter just as much as you do. Treat everybody with love and respect no matter how they look.

Tips

• Don't get to obsessed with yourself. Still save some time for hanging out with friends
• You might not be able to play some of the sports, so don't get carried away with begging your parents to let you play.
• Always remember that this article may not work for you. Your parents are still in charge of what or how much you eat or what kind or how much exercise you get.
• If you're hungry, try drinking water. Sometimes you can feel hungry but actually de-hydrated.

Warnings

• Don't under eat. It can lead to serious health problems.
• Don't force yourself to get more exercise than you can feel comfortable with
• Don't rush yourself. This takes a couple of months, not hours or days or weeks.

Things You'll Need

• Healthy foods to snack on
• Somewhere to exercise or somewhere to enroll in a sport

How To Enjoy Sweets On A Diet

Even if you are on a diet, you can still enjoy your favourite sweets and other empty calorie treats. Whether you love chocolate, cookies, chips or any other indulgence, with some basic knowledge, you can enjoy your favourite treats while still being successful at loosing weight and staying healthy!

Steps

1. Figure out how many calories worth of sweets you will alow yourself a day. Around 200 or 300 calories on a regular day is reasonable.
2. When eating sweets, use portion control. You can now buy Christies Thinsations cookies and snacks in 100 calorie packs. Not only are they all your favourite treats (Oreos, Chips Ahoy, graham crackers, bits and bites...) but they are packaged with one serving in each bag. Also, Cadbury Thins as well as KitKat and Aero Singles are chocolate bars that have very few calories.
3. Buy sugar free sweets. Many health food stores sell these in bulk. I do not recommend eating large amounts of these (they contain aspartame and artificial sweeteners that make you crave real sugar, and may even cause cancer) but they do help satisfy small cravings.
4. Burn the extra calories. If you eat 200 calories worth of sweets or other empty calories,then you will need to burn the extra calories that you consumed. In order to lose weight, you will need to burn more calories then the sum of the calories of everything that you ate, each day.

Burn Calories

• • NOTE-the amount of calories burned is based on a 130 pound adult. The calories burned are higher if you weigh more.
• 15 min of running up stairs will burn 220 calories.
• 1 hour of playing the drums will burn 235 calories.
• 30 min of raking the lawn will burn 117 calories.
• 1 hour of bowling burns 175 calories.
• 1 hour of shooting baskets burns 265 calories
• 1 hour of mini golf burn 175 calories
• 15 min of jumping rope fast burns 177 calories
• Running one 10 minute mile will burn 100 calories
• Swimming laps for 15 minutes with a light effort will burn 100 calories.
• Playing beach volleyball for an hour burns 470 calories

Tips

• Try to stay away from places like Starbucks - replace those morning coffees with a fruity smoothie.
• Put a little fridge underneath or beside your desk at work and fill it with fresh fruit, veggies with low fat ceasar dressing to dip, fruit juice (not punch!), smoothies and yogurts.
• If you crave something sweet, chew a stick of gum. Not only does it satisfy your craving, but you won't be able to eat anything else while you are chewing it.
• If you are making these treats, consider putting in honey,brown sugar, or splenda instead of white sugar.

Recipes

• To make a healthy breakfast smoothie, put 1 cup sweetened low-fat vanilla yogurt, 1/4 cup milk and 1/2 cup fruit of your choice (such as strawberries)into a blender and blend until smooth. This is sweet and thick like a milkshake, but a lot more healthy!

• For a fun, personalized trail mix, pick 4 or 5 of the following ingredients, put them in a Ziploc baggie and mix. Keep this on hand as a quick, filling, and HEALTHY snack.

1. • • 1/4 cup unsalted peanuts
     • 1/4 cup banana chips
     • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
     • 1/4 cup raisins
     • 1/4 cup apple chips
     • 1/4 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
     • 1/4 cup cashews
     • 1/4 cup plain popped popcorn
     • 1/4 cup Shreddies cereal
     • 1/4 cup almonds
     • 1/4 cup Cheereos cereal

Warnings!

• Always listen to your doctor. Ask your doctor before you make any major diet plans; they'll steer you away from anything dangerous or drastic, and may even have medical tips to help you.
• Stay consistent, even when you reach the weight you want to. Downing loads of junk food after several months of dieting messes with your metabolism.
• Never overexercise or starve yourself. This is dangerous and may be fatal.

Raising Healthy Kids

• Introduce good eating habits early in your children’s life.
• Pay attention to your children’s weight as he or she grows. Be sure to discuss your children’s situation with your pediatrician or other healthcare provider.
• Let your children learn to respond to internal hunger cues rather than learned social ones. Don’t worry if your kids don’t eat as much as you think they should.
• Encourage your children to be physically active. Remember that not all physical activity is competitive. Kids who choose not to participate in organized or team sports still can enjoy being active, and the benefits are the same.
• Eat meals at home together. The time you spend at the table is a great way to help your children develop good eating habits and give them an opportunity to talk about the things that may trigger overeating.
• Keep bikes, basketball hoops, and other outdoor play equipment available for your children to use and in good working order.
• Teach your children to reach for water first to quench thirst. Fruit juices, such as orange and apple, are a source of calories that add up quickly.
• Encourage your children to find activities that develop their own unique strengths. More time spent on hobbies and new interests means less time spent on passive entertainment such as television and video games.
• Be a kid again and take time to play with your children—play catch, build a snowman, take a nature walk, go for a bike ride, or dance to your favorite music.
• Get your children involved in making healthful eating choices. Letting them select recipes, shop for ingredients, and prepare food are a few ways.