Children's changing health

When my children were younger (they're 16, 19 and three weeks short of 21 now), there was some concern among some parents about keeping the kids active. Computers weren't all the rage quite yet and movies were only available in VHS (or beta!), so TV was really the major competition for exercise.

I did notice, very early, that there weren't kids playing outside in the same numbers as when I was a child. When we brought our kids to a local park, there may be a few other children playing, but very often, ours were the only ones there. This was the same park I played at as a child and was always full of kids - alone - all day long.

I know that things are different now, particularly with most families having both parents working, but we have to look at what this is doing to our children. For many, the only physical activity they get is in organized sports (if parents can afford it) or gym class at school (if they have it).

I've seen playgrounds at schools where children are banned from playing any of the active games that we played, for fear of injury. One friend even told me that tag was banned at her cousin's school because too many children were getting hurt running and tripping on the concrete. You see, many schools don't have grass either.

Add to that, many of the kids who would have walked to school in "the old days" are now driven by parents, the lack of time on weekends to go outside and play because of all the stuff that needs to be caught up, is there any wonder we're looking at record numbers of obesity, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes in *children*?

It's just going to get worse. The more we try to protect our kids, the worse we are making it for them. Here are a couple of the most recent stories in the news: Inactive kids face 6-fold risk of heart disease by teen years, study finds and Keep on running.

We worry too much about our kids - seriously. I know a few people I knew thought I was nuts to let my kids do some of the stuff they did. My oldest used to go outside with his friend, on their bikes, and go dirt bike riding near the river and across some farm land behind our house (we live in a suburb that borders some farms). They'd be gone for hours. My daughter didn't get into the same sort of thing, but she did dance competitively for quite a while and played organized sports. My youngest son did some of the stuff his older brother did, but he got more involved with wilderness and camping stuff - and he's involved in a weekly floor hockey program.

We have to go back to letting kids be kids. There has got to be a better way to balance our need to protect them with their needs to be free to do things that will help them grow up strong and healthy.

News for Today:
Good trans fats could reduce heart disease, diabetes risk
Glaxo adds warnings of reported psychiatric problems to flu drug
How long is optimal for sex? 3 to 13 minutes, therapists say
No link found in Paxil use, baby heart defects
Now you can visit your doctor online
New test could cut unnecessary treatment for blood disorder in pregnancy

North America growing.... in girth

No news stories on obesity today that I noticed. I’m sure if we wait a day or two, there will be more though. Is obesity the disorder of the month/year? We’ve been reading about more studies, more findings, more problems, more everything as we monitor North America’s increasing girth.

There are articles on how a virus may cause obesity, if it’s not caused by menopause, and what we are exposed to as children. Yes, obesity is a health problem and yes, many people who are obese do have a medical issue that makes it too easy for them to gain weight and too hard for them to lose it – but I fear that a lot of this is also taking away personal responsibility from those who don’t have a medical issue that causes obesity.

It’s been said before and I’ll say it again: Why in heaven’s name do we need a “small” soft drink to be big enough to fulfill a day’s fluid requirements? Ok, slight exaggeration, but not that way off. Why is it when I go to a restaurant in the US, my plate is so full that food is falling off the edges? How come, the few times I do stop by a fast food place, I am urged and encouraged to significantly increase my portions of food?

Those huge drinks and portions have nothing to do with health-related obesity; they have everything to do with “I want this and I want as much of it as I can.”

I’m not immune to it. I love good food. Lord knows I love good food and if there’s a lot of it, I just may be tempted to eat as much of it as I can because I love the taste and the act of eating it. I also love my wine. Good, quality wine. So, I drink it – ingesting the accompanying calories at the same time. Self-control isn’t always easy – I know that. I bought the ingredients to make brownies the other day and my youngest son made a batch. I’m not a huge sweets lover but my favourite baked treat is a good brownie. Or, as I learned this past weekend, a pan of brownies. Oops. Yup, a weakness. So, the solution? I rarely bring that stuff into my house. If that’s what it takes, then that’s what it takes.

This post isn’t a put down for those people who seriously battle obesity because of medical issues. It is a piece on how many of us battle our weight and don’t take responsibility for it. I am about 10 to 15 pounds heavier than I should be. I don’t look too heavy; I’ve never looked my weight, but at just shy of 5’6” and almost 160 pounds, I feel it. My goal over the next few months is to get that down to a healthier weight. I’ll never look svelte and elegant – I’m what many try to delicately put as “big boned,” but I can start to feel a bit healthier again.

After that pan of brownies last week, I’ve not eaten anything like that. I am limiting my wine to treat-status rather than a more regular thing. Since my dog died, my husband and I have been going on rigorous 35 minute walks every evening and I’m trying very hard to be better about taking care of myself. Hopefully, this will all work out for the best.

Otherwise, I just may bake myself a pan of brownies and open a bottle of Chateau Neuf de Pape….

News for today:
Bipolar disorder diagnoses increasing: U.S. study
Spending Longer in Bed May Beat Taking a Painkiller, Study Says
New system may classify more lung-cancer patients as treatable
Therapies: Family Sessions Found to Help Treat Bulimia