| It’s the beginning of a new year. The holidays have passed. Your schedule is back to normal. The cookies and candy are gone. Maybe you’ve started a fitness program for yourself,to kick off a healthful resolution. Or,you’re trying to eat better and cut back on portions. But,what are you doing to help the preschool child in your life? Are you taking time to make sure you’re helping him develop a healthy,favorable attitude about exercise and nutritious food? Are you aware of the hours of TV she may be watching? Do you do any physical activity along with your preschooler? If the answer is no to any of these questions,it won’t take much to make a huge difference in your little one’s fitness level. Take a minute to see which of the suggestions below can be easily inserted into your day to day routine: Ask your child what you should both eat for breakfast daily. Give a choice of 2-3 healthy options and then eat together.Go for a walk around the block (take the dog if you have one) as soon as you get home from work,even if you’re tired.When you MUST get food at a drive through,ask your child to help you pick something that is healthy (point out that greasy food is NOT healthy). If the choice is not good,explain why and ask again.Pick an activity that you know how to do but your child does not (skating,cycling,etc.). Teach your child the basics of that activity.Play an active game together on the weekend or on your day off. Something that requires your child to run and move vigorously for at least a half hour. Even if you aren’t able to move as strenuously,get your child to do it through a fun game.When you shop for foods,include your preschooler. Food variety is necessary to ensure you get all the vital nutrients for optimal health. Try different foods for sound nutrition and so your child will develop a taste for a wide range of foods in later life.There are so many resources for preschool nutrition and fitness if you take the time to look. Search the internet. Look around your area. Movement opportunities are everywhere. If you take advantage of only a few you’ll be developing healthy lifestyle habits in your child and yourself. You may just find that it’s easier tackling dietary changes together and much more fun to “exercise”together. It’s time not just for moving but for talking and building/strengthening family relationships. Something everyone can enjoy! If you’re heading off to go shopping for that special little toddler on your gift list,take a minute and prepare yourself before purchasing any toy. There are many things to consider to make sure your child doesn’t end up with a plaything that could cause considerable harm or even death. The number one hazard [...] The average American eats about 25 pounds of candy a year. Around Halloween time,more than 2 billion dollars are spent on candy –more than any other holiday. Do preschool children really need a head start on associating holidays with candy overload? Absolutely not. In fact,if they learn from this age onward that [...] Lately I’ve been hearing a lot of horror stories in the news involving young children. The infamous Casey Anthony case,where absolutely no justice was served for poor Caylee Anthony. The sixteen-year-old mother who tossed her newborn in the trash can of a store. The Tennessee mother who suffocated her newborn twins at birth to [...] With preschool children returning to school,they need the best nutritional choices available for optimal health,learning and fun. When shopping for foods,think about not just what is healthy but what is quick,easy to eat,appealing to your child’s palate and affordable. If you’re not sure,the following suggestions can help you maneuver [...] Recently the news reported the viewpoint of a Harvard Professor,who wrote a piece for the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. He suggested that in some cases government intervention may be needed to remove extremely obese children from the home. As you can imagine,this stirred up a lot of [...] When I was a kid,the only fireworks we saw were those displayed by the fire department at our yearly carnival celebration. I grew up in a small hick town,with one traffic light,no police officer and one school. The very place you would expect to see people spending wads of money on whatever [...] Changing unhealthy eating behavior as an adult or in older children is not always easy to accomplish. Food preferences and habits begin during the preschool years. Children develop a taste for fat and sugar from the moment they’re able to chew solid food. What would happen though,if you gave preschool children a choice between [...] Have you ever wondered why so many of the corporate giants in this world see the power of targeting their marketing to small children but those who can spread a positive influence don’t? Joe Camel wasn’t just a cute cuddly animal to appeal only to teens. No,he was designed to grab the attention of [...] It’s hard to believe that with the worldwide obesity pandemic anyone would be on the other side of childhood obesity prevention efforts. But that’s exactly what is happening here in the USA. Michelle Obama has done her best this past year to bring attention to the dire fact that childhood obesity has tripled the [...] | About The AuthorMichele Silence M.A. 23-year fitness professional  |
