Obesity and Today"s Youth
The world is not easy for a young person. He or she must worry about their education, about fitting in with other kids, about getting along with family at home, and of course many also worry about their own body weight. Today we have more medicines and better health care and more knowledge of things like vitamins and minerals, so in many ways the youth of today are healthier than ever. But the one problem they do face is learning how to eat properly and how to develop these eating habits for life.
It's really no shock today that young people struggle with weight issues. They are less active than they've ever been. Household chores are done by or with the help of machines. Food is readily available and doesn't need to be harvested; it simply needs to be put in the microwave! And those food items are usually sugary sodas, sugary cakes, and sugary everything else. Meals usually consist of fast food hamburgers or pizzas.
And how do the young people of today spend their free time? With the television or a video game. There is little physical activity involved in this other than the movement of a thumb!
It's not that the adults set out to purposely ruin their child's health. Many have even been trying to do the opposite. Parents want children to have a good life and often want that life to be easy and enjoyable. But sometimes this means lives get too easy and the consequences of that are forgotten. An easy life mean less work and less physical exertion. But parents then forget that without doing some manual labor and keeping busy physically, a child's health suffers and obesity sets in.
It's important to understand that this doesn't have to happen. Parents have the responsibility to teach good habits to children. These habits include work habits, habits that make them good friends and family members, and good eating habits as well. But why do many parents fall short in this? Because they don't have these good habits themselves! Parents often work very late into the evening and then, rather than cook, order a pizza or hit a drive-through restaurant. While these things are convenient and quick, they're certainly not healthy and don't teach children about health either.
Children learn these things very quickly. They may run out the door because they're late and skip breakfast, and then make up for it with a large lunch or dinner. Snacking in between meals is common. Rarely do they exercise and those poor food choices make the situation worse. Watching television with a sugary soda in one hand and bowl of chips in another is a bad combination. Playing video games rather than playing sports makes it worse.
Today, some half of the youth in the country are overweight. These one suffer from low self-esteem, poor health, and often give up on the situation before they're even adults. Teenagers, in some extreme cases, have even taken their own lives because of the problems associated with weight that they feel they can't control. It would be nice if the nation would unite to find a solution for the youth. We can provide the solution and they'll follow if it's a good one. Alternatives to sitting in front of the television and playing video games is a place to start. Healthy meals and snacks and participation in sports for physical activity is another. This will help them to be healthy but can also help their self-esteem as well. As adults and parents, we must find and offer a solution for this problem.
It's really no shock today that young people struggle with weight issues. They are less active than they've ever been. Household chores are done by or with the help of machines. Food is readily available and doesn't need to be harvested; it simply needs to be put in the microwave! And those food items are usually sugary sodas, sugary cakes, and sugary everything else. Meals usually consist of fast food hamburgers or pizzas.
And how do the young people of today spend their free time? With the television or a video game. There is little physical activity involved in this other than the movement of a thumb!
It's not that the adults set out to purposely ruin their child's health. Many have even been trying to do the opposite. Parents want children to have a good life and often want that life to be easy and enjoyable. But sometimes this means lives get too easy and the consequences of that are forgotten. An easy life mean less work and less physical exertion. But parents then forget that without doing some manual labor and keeping busy physically, a child's health suffers and obesity sets in.
It's important to understand that this doesn't have to happen. Parents have the responsibility to teach good habits to children. These habits include work habits, habits that make them good friends and family members, and good eating habits as well. But why do many parents fall short in this? Because they don't have these good habits themselves! Parents often work very late into the evening and then, rather than cook, order a pizza or hit a drive-through restaurant. While these things are convenient and quick, they're certainly not healthy and don't teach children about health either.
Children learn these things very quickly. They may run out the door because they're late and skip breakfast, and then make up for it with a large lunch or dinner. Snacking in between meals is common. Rarely do they exercise and those poor food choices make the situation worse. Watching television with a sugary soda in one hand and bowl of chips in another is a bad combination. Playing video games rather than playing sports makes it worse.
Today, some half of the youth in the country are overweight. These one suffer from low self-esteem, poor health, and often give up on the situation before they're even adults. Teenagers, in some extreme cases, have even taken their own lives because of the problems associated with weight that they feel they can't control. It would be nice if the nation would unite to find a solution for the youth. We can provide the solution and they'll follow if it's a good one. Alternatives to sitting in front of the television and playing video games is a place to start. Healthy meals and snacks and participation in sports for physical activity is another. This will help them to be healthy but can also help their self-esteem as well. As adults and parents, we must find and offer a solution for this problem.
