PitterPatterFeet

As a parent or caregiver you can help in preventing childhood obesity by helping children to deal with their emotions in positive and empowering ways. Helpimg children to deal with their emotions in this way helps in preventing emotional eating before it starts.

You can start helping your child even at a very young age. Children depend on parents and teachers to help them make sense of and understand the world and how to navigate in it. When children are very young they cannot Read more »

There are steps you can take in an effort to prevent obesity for yourself and your children and loved ones. In taking care of yourself you are providing a powerful role model for your children to follow and are also ensuring theirs and your success in life. One step that you can take to do this is through mindfulness.

As a society we have the tendency to multitask endlessly. To do one thing and only one thing at a time is unheard of today, this is especially true with eating. I have seen people Read more »

As parents we spend so much time taking care of our children and others. But who takes care of us? It is part of our responsibility in being a good parent to remember to take care of ourselves so that we are better able to take care of others especially our children.

As human beings we are driven by our moods. It is hard to get and stay motivated when we feel tired, frustrated and unsatisfied. It is our job as parents to ensure the proper care of our children, by taking care of ourselves. So we get to do Read more »

Do you really think that a tax on sugary drinks will really help in the prevention of obesity? I am sort of torn and not so sure.  I think the intention of the idea is great. It is done in an effort to raise money to offset the deficit and discourage people from consuming sugary drinks that have been linked to obesity. It has been found that these drinks more than food are a major contributor in obesity.

Since sugar is an addictive substance and is not good for the body in the first place, I think this move would encourage us to choose healthier choices when it comes to choosing our beverages and what we put into our bodies. It would cause us to be more conscious instead of being on automatic when ordering  out. This could be the start of a whole new lifestyle change.

It always feels a heck of a lot better when you decide to do things on your own rather than being forced  into doing something. So I think we should all start now in making wiser choices, especially with our children who really cannot make the choice on their own. Sure they can tell us what they want but they don’t have a job and are not paying. And even if they did or do have a job we are still the parent and still have to do what we think is right.

My only concern is this would really cause a burden for the poor who a lot of times only have these sugary drinks as options. But every one regardless of economic status deserves to be and eat healthy. So they get to start making wiser choices too, based on the best choice that is available to them and that they can afford.

What do you think? I would love to hear your opinion on this one. Feel free to leave a comment. Also pick up a free report on Helping Your Child Be Healthy and Fit from http://www.healthykidsweightloss.com .

Rigorous movement helps to burn energy and calories, an excellent way to insure  you will be assisting your child in preventing obesity. What’s even better is when the child is having so much fun that they don’t even realize they are working out. To them they are just having fun. Which is why I want to tell you about a really fun activity for preschool aged children. Not only is it fun but it helps to develop their peripheral vision.

What you will need is a large piece of material. It helps if this material is light weight and colorful. You will also need open space and their favorite music. It would be great if more than one child is doing this. Explain to the child that they are going to ball up the material in their hands. For some preschoolers they may complain that they are not able to ball it up. Help them by balling it up within their hands. After balling the material up in the air they are going to throw it up as high as they can above them and then catch the material without it hitting the floor.

This is a blast for them and really beautiful to see all of the materials flying up in the air. It is like going to Mardi Gras or Carnival. Everyone is smiling and laughing and the music is adding in to the excitement. Everyone is throwing up their material and are trying  not to run into one another.

Throwing the material up in the air forces their eyes to track it or follow it in order to catch it. Unlike a ball that moves fast. The material opens up as it’s being thrown in the air and comes down sort of like a parachute. Because it takes a little longer to come down, the eyes are tracking and following longer. This is also why we ball the material up tight to help give it velocity in being thrown up. The higher it goes the more it just floats down to the ground.

Try this exercise just to have fun and to do something out of the ordinary.You’ll be glad you did. Also get your free ebook on Healthy Kids Weight Loss  at http://www.healthykidsweightloss.com.

What does the sun have to do with preventing childhood obesity you ask.You cannot even imagine life without the sun right? Remember that song we used to sing when we were little ”Rain, rain go away come back another day.” But we really didn’t want that rain to come back as children because we just wanted to play outside all day. We thought that the sun was all we wanted. But as a child we didn’t realize what the rain did for us and how it was helpful to us. The sun and the rain help our crops to grow we need both. We need both mental exercise by going to school and work and physical exercise through rigorous movement and other activities that get our heart rate up.

To get to the point I know that your life is full and very busy, sometimes you don’t know whether you are coming or going you’re so busy. I know and I understand. I am a very busy mom,wife and entrepreneur. I am active in my church and my daughter’s school as well as assist and support my family and friends and try to stay abreast of what’s happening in my field. So I really understand that you too are very busy. And in all that I didn’t even mention taking time for myself, because when there are not people to attend to there is laundry, dusting and cleaning, grocery shopping and on and on.

So I want you to get a piece of paper and really take a couple of minutes to figure out how you and your child can get some movement in. Think outside of the box. Turn on the music in your home and dance. Go back to those songs that made you feel good back in the day. For me Paraliament Funkadelic, Prince, and Marvin Gaye’s “Got To Give It Up” really get me going. I also love Kirk Franklin, Fred Hammond, Mary Mary and  Moss and many current R&B, Pop and Hip Hop artist. So put the music on and dance, even for a few minutes just to get your heart rate up. Put some up tempo music on while you clean the house.

Get your kids involved too. Lead by example and let them see you having fun. Yes they will think you’re crazy. So what! have fun.  Tell them to take the ear plugs out and share their music. Even if it’s really not your type of music just move anyway. Jump up and down, move your arms and legs in all kinds of crazy ways. The point is to have fun and move. You can do it. Try it and let me know how it turns out. Seriously let me know. Also notice how you feel before and after doing it. I bet you’ll have a smile on your face.

Get your free ebook on keeping your kids healthy and fit at http://healthykidsweightloss.com.

Using dance to help children move, learn and have fun is an excellent way to prevent childhood obesity. As a parent or teacher you are helping your child to get into the habit of physical activity early in life.  An activity like dance has many benefits that other activities do not. Dance is an activity that your child can do alone or in a group. It also incorporates one element that many other activities do not and that is music. It calls upon the student to utilize memorization skills, as well as problem solving skills. It uses the mind and muscles simultaneously developing a smarter student as it develops the brain.

Don’t expect your child to come home excited about how they developed their brain and explored new and exciting things that they can do with their body. Do expect them to tell you about how much fun they had. Expect them to tell you how they flew to a distant land with wings, or a cape like Superman  or even as an airplane. How much fun they had going in slow speed, fast speed and meduim speed as they flew.

This is fun for a child not exercise as they are using the largest muscles in their bodies, their legs to run in the different speeds. Fun is what fuels the dance class and because of this learning takes place. So if you aks your child to show you what they learned in dance class and they take off running don’t be alarmed. You might ask them if a Ballet run is the same as when they run on the playground or at the park or in the gym and to show you the difference. Now your child knows the difference between fast and slow and in between. If they are a little older they might learn pre Math skills by learning about parallel and perpendicular lines.

These things are usually learned in a preschool dance class or a class geared to 3-5 year olds using Creative Movement and Dance. It is a good idea to start them young so they can develop a love of movement and not think it’s a crime to sweat. More schools are incorporating Dance and Creative Movement into their curriculums as they find that it really helps to supplement and reinforce learning in a fun and memorable way. They learn these skills in addition to traditional dance vocabulary and movements.

Try dance for your child. It is a wise investment not a cost into your child’s future. They will also have a blast in the process. Also get a free report on helping your child stay healthy at http://healthykidsweightloss.com.

Too much sugar is not good for our children, yes of course we know that. But did you know the effects that too much sugar has on the body? Sugar is an addictive substance which means the more you have of it the more you want it. It also has negative effects upon the body when consumed in large quantities. There are several things that you can do to prevent childhood obesity as it relates to sugar.

The first thing you can do is Read more »

A very effective activity for kids is walking. Walking is an excellent fat burning activity. It is a great activity for teachers to do in school as well as parents to do at home with their kids. Here in the northeast we are having very snowy and inclement weather. It seems every time we look around it is snowing, sleeting or raining. And if that is not happening it is frigid temperatures outside. Yet it is still beneficial for you to take your children outside. There are several benefits to walking besides the physical benefits.

In cold weather make sure your children are dressed warmly, that means scarves, hats and gloves. Make sure they are zipped up well and if really cold have on hats and hoods and scarves around their neck and face. You will not be out very long and you will be moving a little faster than you normally would. A good way to accomplish this is through marching. Have them count and see how far they can count up to or they can count the usual hut 2, 3, 4! or 1,2,3,4!

Just because they are walking they don’t have to walk the entire time. They can stop and march in place or march in a circle or weave in and out of one another. Of course you will use common sense and if it is frigidly cold you will not keep them out long 5 minutes is enough for them to get some fresh air. In addition they can hop in place or jump in place or even skip. These activities will keep them warm and burn calories at the same time.

You can also have them do observation activities like count how many cars they see on the street or how many people. How many were grownups. How many were children like them. Were they males or females, boys or girls. Did they see any animals or what did they see. Upon returning to the school or home recall what happened on the walk.

It’s an opportunity for you to bond with your children. Communication and linguistic skills are enhanced and exercised and learning opportunities are available in which you learn about them and they about you. If the weather doesn’t permit going outside you can always walk in your school or take a trip to the mall or a museum. It is totally up to you and your child, remember to get their input too. Have fun!

Healthy eating is an excellent way to keep fit. Get a free report on healthy eating for kids at http://healthykidsweightloss.com.

This is fitnesss activitiy is to help children learn rhythm and timing and to learn to take turns. In learning to take turns toddlers learn patience. Which takes quiet a bit of practice for their age because everything at this age is about me me me. Learning to wait for their turn is an important skill that toddlers must develope. It is a social skill and this particular activity helps them to work with others and bulids comraderie as they cheer one another on. Sometimes they even say one another’s name in an effort to help.

This is a very popular activity in my dance classes held on site at preschools through out New Jersey. The school above Lil Tykes Learning Center in East Orange, New Jersey and also a part of the Tri City Peoples Corporation, have dance as a part of their learning curriculum. It is given at no additional charge and is a $55 per month per child value that is freely given to their parents. The teachers and parents appreciate having the convenience of having it at the school and love the fact that it’s so much more than dance, and learning as well.

This is a great activity for circle time or for children to use at home. Children doing it at home can use their stuffed animals. You can also substitue say your age also to add some variety or change the beat. It’s all up to you and the chlildren so have fun!