How to Achieve Healthy Weight Loss in Children

Obesity and overweight in children is making headlines and many stories make frightening reading. Definitely, weight loss for children is a very sensitive subject, but one that is very  important, as many of overweight kids will grow up into obese and overweight adults, with higher risk to life threatening and limiting diseases leading to reduction in their life expectancy.     

Today kids live a sedentary lifestyle. Aside from sensible food choices, another step that can help them with weight loss is to get them away from TV, computers and video games. So, what can be done to encourage our kids to be active in life so that they can achieve weight loss?

First, it is necessary for the parents to handle the subject of weight loss in their kids with all care. After all, kids are still growing and need a nutritious diet with fine balance of nutrients to ensure that they grow as healthy kids. Therefore, it is necessary to discuss any weight loss diet with dietician or physician. There is no use of avoiding one set of illnesses, if we follow conditions that encourage another set of illnesses, in this case, the ones based on the nutritional deficiency.

While it is not possible for parents to control everything that their child eats, but they can at least help them in developing healthy eating habits, by telling them the significance of nutrition, and providing them nutritious and tasty food at home. These may include treats, so the kids don't feel that they are not getting the foods that are being enjoyed by their parents. 

Your dietician or doctor can inform you of the calories required by a growing child and would also recommend the exercises that are appropriate for your kids to lose weight. Parents should opt for exercises that the entire family can do together, making it a sort of fun activity for the sake of weight loss for children. Exercises should become a part of daily routine in a house. They should be done in such a way that child enjoys it and does not see it as a task. You can make your kids move, by going for a daily family walk, perhaps with your family dog. 

You can help your kids in achieving weight loss in less painful way by helping them in making sensible food choices. Today many kids love eating fast food at least few times a week as they feel it is a part of their lifestyle. Unfortunately, these foods are loaded with calories and fat. In addition, when kids get addicted to eating these highly salty and flavored foods, they are most likely to reject bland vegetables or grilled chicken.Weight loss for children is possible if you can taper their fast food one a week and then gradually work towards limiting such treats to one a month.   

You should avoid being over-strict with either exercise or diet routines as this can have detrimental effect on your kids. So, be careful and introduce new ideas in a gradual way and involve your kids in planning and decision making to get the desired results in a much easier and faster way. 


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Nutrition and Fitness for Kids

Most people think that kids will get fit naturally because they play in the playground at school and spend time running around outside and will simply burn off the calories from the food they eat like that.  It might have been like that in the past, but these days there a lot of children who are putting on weight when they are quite young so this obviously isn't working any more. So what can parents do to help?

There are some simple solutions to helping your children get healthier and fitter without having to make huge changes to your lifestyle.  The simplest way is to try and get fitter.  There are plenty of clubs that children can go to these days that can help with their fitness levels. From football to ballet there is usually something to interest every child.  If your child doesn't like doing social activities like that, then they can do things with their family instead.  A walk to the park is always good fun, and as they get older the children will be able to go on their own. Try to encourage them to play outside in the summer months as this will not only get them more active but will also help them make friends with other children in the area.  If the whole family wants to get fitter then you can all work together at it, maybe by using a Wii fit or doing some exercise at home.

Healthier eating isn't too difficult a change either.  There are some very simple changes you can make to your diet which can make a huge difference to you child's health.  Firstly try to reduce the snacks in between meals.  Children can easily fill up on sweet or salty snacks that are full of unhealthy fats, then they won't want to eat their main meals which are usually healthier.  When you are cooking try to reduce the amount of processed foods you buy as these often contain more sugar, salt and saturated fat than you would add if you were cooking yourself from scratch.  Try to cook with your children so they have more enthusiasm for the meals which you have prepared for them and it will help them to be more likely to try new things.

Children shouldn't be dieting in the same way as adults, they still need fats in their diets as well a good varied amount of protein, carbohydrates, fruit and vegetables.  If you want to reduce their weight, or stop them gaining more then you will need to be careful not to reduce their food intake too much.  It is much better to take out the sweets, cakes, puddings and biscuits from their diet than reduce the food they have in their main meals.  A healthy main meal should contain a good amount of fresh vegetables (preferably some of them should be raw) served with some carbohydrate and protein. Proteins include nuts, seeds, beans, pulses, dairy products and meat.  It is good to have a mix of these rather than just choosing meat every time.  The carbohydrates should be wholemeal so that they fill up the child and don't make them want to eat more and more as the calories are quickly used up. 


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Kids Fitness Games to Keep Your Child Heathy

Kids nowadays are so focused on watching television and playing video games that they do not have time to exercise. This has resulted in an increase in the number of children with obesity. Kids fitness games not only keep their bodies in shape, but also keep their minds active. Parents should therefore make sure that their kids have enough time to exercise. There are some simple games which every kid will love playing.

Rope skipping provides a great way for a kid to burn extra calories. Children are hyperactive and they are going to love jumping around with their skipping rope. The kid can play alone or as a group in the play ground. In this game your kid will use the whole body and they can also try to compete and see how fast they can jump without tripping. Alternatively, they can use more than one rope which increases the level of activity.

Hokey is another kids fitness games. In this game the kids will put one leg in front and pull it back, then the other leg and the hands. The kid then shakes the whole body and turns around. This game is not only enjoyable, but also helps your kid to maintain the right weight.

Cycling is considered one of the most effective ways to keep a child active and healthy. Children love cycling and you can also join your kid for fun. The child gets to exercise his legs muscles and he will also require a lot of energy to cycle. However, it is advisable to supervise your kid while cycling to avoid accidents. Make sure the child stays on the sidewalk and he wears helmet.

The best kids fitness games are those which involve racing and agility. Football is one such games and it also provides an opportunity for your kid to learn to be a team player. Running around allows the kid to improve heart muscles and other body muscles. You can also take time to watch the kid playing to motivate him or her. You will be amazed at how sweaty your kid will be at the end of the football game.

Indoor kids fitness games such as sardines are ideal when the weather is cold. The kids can play sardines game where one kid hides like in hide and seek and other children have to look for him. The children are required to join the hiding the child until only one kid is remaining and then they can come out. You can also introduce your kid to dancing as an exercise and also to explore their talent. Let your child join a dancing class so he can become a good dancer.

Physical fitness for kids is very important and it is the duty of every parent to make sure their kids exercise consistently. Kids fitness games such as rope jumping, cycling, swimming, soccer as well as hide and seek are some games you can let your kid play. These will not only keep your child healthy but will also increase his or her agility.

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Helping a Child Lose Weight - Ways to Encourage Rather Than Tear Down

In today's modern society technology has transformed all of our lives.  Unfortunately the effects of technology are not always beneficial.  For example children today tend to spend far more time indoors than they would have a few generations ago, largely due to the various forms of electronic entertainment available to them.  Instead of running around and playing with friends outside, many children now spend countless hours playing video games.  This increased level of inactivity is obviously a big part of why there are so many children who now find themselves overweight.  Helping a child lose weight is not as simple as you might think.  Much like an adult, a child who has become overweight will need to make changes to their lifestyle in order to lose weight and maintain the weight loss.  These changes will likely include increasing their activity, and modifying their diet.  With significant changes likely necessary for a child to successfully lose weight, it can be a difficult time for them.  It's important to remember when helping a child lose weight that you need to be patient and understanding.

Obviously getting children to quit playing video games or spending time online will be next to impossible.  Instead of trying to eliminate what you consider to be a bad influence, you should try to encourage them to spend more time doing healthy activities.  Why not take a trip to the park or go for a ride together on bikes? Why not play catch outside or take your dogs for a walk? By providing alternatives to video games and television that are fun you can increase the chances that your child will be more receptive to change.  Another important thing to consider when helping a child lose weight it their diet.  Once again it's going to be impossible to cut out all of their sweets and other unhealthy foods.  Instead of trying to force a healthy diet upon them, you can look for healthy foods that they enjoy.  Offer them the option of having fresh fruit as a snack.  Substitute the whole or 2% milk in your refrigerator for skim or 1% milk.  By providing your child with options instead of trying to force them to eat healthy, you can increase the chances that they will improve their eating habits.

The key to helping a child lose weight is learning to effectively communicate with your child, and finding middle ground.  Instead of trying to force change upon them, try to encourage them to want to change.  Weight loss is not easy for anyone, and trying to get a child to understand that they need to lose weight can be difficult.  But by offering them alternatives and solutions instead of focusing upon their shortcomings, you can make their weight loss something that is positive.  Chances are that you will encounter obstacles on your child's path to weight loss.  There will be setbacks, and things may become difficult.  But by remaining positive, by focusing upon a solution, you can help your child to lose weight and live a healthier life.

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Rules for a Healthy Diet for Kids

It can seem very difficult to find a diet that your children enjoy eating, but is also very healthy for them. When there is so much pressure to encourage your children to eat healthily, how do you get a reasonable balance between making sure they have a good diet and not getting them so obsessed with food that they will be worried about their weight?  Here are some hints and tips that will hopefully help you with working out a healthy diet for kids.

1) Don't use food as a treat.  If children consider food to be a reward for good behaviour, this can turn out to be a habit for their lifetime.  You need to make sure that they see food as fuel and not a treat.  Try not to let them feel that they only get pudding as a reward for eating their dinner or other similar things, as this can turn out against you when they only want to eat sweet treats, or binge on food as rewards for doing good things.

2) Try to keep sugar in the diet at a minimum. Sugar not only rots teeth but can also cause children to put on weight if they have too much. It can be difficult, but it is often better to give children more of their main course than to give them cakes or dessert after their food. If they are still hungry then let them have a piece of fruit as this will give them a sweet treat without the fat that usually accompanies desserts.

3) Keep snacks at a minimum. Some children need snacks between meals to give them a burst of energy but you should really only give these if they are needed and not as a habit.  Good snacks include nuts, seeds and unsweetened yoghurt.  If you are out and about they could snack on fruit bars or fresh fruit.

4) Don't give in to advertising.  A lot of children will want to eat foods that they see on TV or that their friends have.  It can be very difficult to not give in to their demands for the latest items.  However, try to think of their long term health and how it can affect their behavior if you give in to what they want all the time.  Just occasionally buy them the things they want, but make sure that they aren't eating unhealthy foods all the time.

5) Show a good example. If you are expecting your children to eat all their vegetables you will need to make sure that you eat them too. Children copy the behavior of the people around them and so they will need to see you eating well too.

6) Eat a good variety of foods. Unhealthy food is fine every once in a while as long as there are good healthy foods eaten in between. So make sure that the diet has plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and salads mixed with proteins such as beans and lentils and complex carbohydrates like wholemeal pasta and wholegrain bread.


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