Experts agree that as more and more obese children become obese adults, lifestyle diseases such as cardiovascular disease, stokes, Type II Diabetes and some cancers will surge. These modern lifestyles diseases are now the biggest threat to our health and that of our families. Our children may be the first generation of children who will die before their parents due to preventable lifestyle diseases.
Whilst tackling obesity as a huge global problem and a public health nightmare, I believe that women hold a unique position to make a huge impact on the health and fitness of those around them – and to turn the tide of the obesity epidemic. We have the power to become ‘healthy living’ champions. By first starting with our own health, we can then focus on the health of our families, which will in turn have wider implications in our community.
THE POWER OF ONE
You need to believe that you have a key role to play in tackling this obesity crisis.
Whilst changing society as a whole is tricky, changing yourself is much easier.
We can take control of our own health by deciding that we deserve to live the healthiest and happiest life possible and take responsibility for our own behaviour. We need to take every opportunity to make healthy lifestyle choices, to eat right and to put our exercise needs as one of the top priorities of the week.
“But I just don’t have the time to exercise or cook nutritious meals” I hear you say. I say that it’s important to make the time, because if you don’t, you will get sick and sickness never comes at a convenient time. If you have others relying on you such as your children, then it’s even more important. Especially when you’re a mum, time is hard to come by and it’s easy to put yourself last. By doing that, you don’t help your family and you especially don’t help you. Instead, by taking care of your health, you’ll have more energy, be happier, be able to do more for yourself and your family.
Once we have our own health and fitness on track, then we can then be a positive agent for our family’s health and fitness.
YOUR POWER TO INFLUENCE YOUR FAMILY
Women have such a powerful role to play in the health and fitness of their family.
It’s generally through the power of example that women have the most influence. In the International Journal of Obesity, it was found that if a wife undertook a weight loss program in which she modified her lifestyle mainly through diet and exercise, her husband also lost weight.(1)
Trying to nag your partner to be healthy and exercise will not work. Setting a positive example is far more powerful. Try to encourage your partner by making exercise fun. In fact don’t label it as exercise but instead, it’s spending time together. Go for a walk together, go bike riding or go hiking. Making it a fun based activity will show your partner that being physically active is fun and isn’t boring. Exercising is a lot more fun when you do it together and is a great way to spend quality time together as a family each day.
Parental modeling is also extremely important. Research in the American Journal of Sociology illustrated that the link between a parent’s weight and their children’s bodyweight is social. Scientists determined that the parents’ weight did contribute to a child’s likelihood of becoming obese.
Other research has shown that if one parent is obese, there is a 50 per cent chance that their children will also be obese; and when both parents are obese, their children have an 80 per cent chance of becoming obese. It was found that setting a good example (supported by both parents) was the most effective way for children to develop a healthy attitude to food.
As you can see, your influence on your family is more important than ever and is the greatest gift you can give to your children.
So how can I influence my family’s health and fitness?
Using myself as a real-life example, in my family, I shop for our food, prepare the meals and take our kids to sport. That puts me firmly in the driver’s seat when it comes to our family having a healthy lifestyle. There are several ways I can help improve the health of my family.
What I buy at the shops
One of the best ways to take fatty foods out of your family’s diet is by not buying it in the first place. There are so many great options for meals and snacks that are nutritious and taste great too. However, if you still buy chocolate, your family will reach for it. Take the temptations out of your cupboard, put healthier options in there and you will find that your family has to eat them. At the very least, if your partner insists on these kinds of foods, they’ll have to work for them and go out to buy them. I have found this is really successful in my family.
What I prepare for meals
Are your meals healthy? Do a quick check of what your family ate for the last few days and write it down. If it’s not great, now is the time to take some action. The key is preparation. Deciding what you’re going to eat that night when you’re on the way home from work is not the best time. I plan my meals a week in advance so I know what my family will eat. Th is ensures I have all the ingredients, and in turn saves me money as I don’t have to keep going back to the shops. It also stops me from impulse buying things like chocolate.
How much I serve
Another great way we can help our family is by decreasing portion size. Many people struggle with portion size and eat way too much. Portion sizes have actually gotten bigger so we are eating more than our parents used to. A great way to decrease portion size is to serve the dinner on an entrée size plate. Your partner might not even notice.
Eating out
Most of us live a very hectic life. Work, school and kids sport put pressure on families to eat healthy meals at night. A lot of the time, the easier option is buying take away but as you can imagine most of the choices are not the healthiest for your family. Again it requires a little preparation and forethought. If you know that you are busy on certain nights of the week, prepare your meal in advance. Cook twice as much of a healthy meal and store it in the freezer so you can reheat it when you get home. Or prepare a meal that is quick and easy like a salad or stir-fry. If you do need to buy takeaway, know what options are healthiest.
Exercise for the family
Is is the same with your partner, don’t make a big deal about going out to exercise. Just make exercise a part of your day. I love taking the kids to the park to kick a ball, taking the dog for a walk, going swimming at the beach or riding our bikes. All these things are exercise but are lots of fun too. Th e other night I decided to go for a run and I had my ten year old and eight year old ask if they could come. We had a great time as we talked and jogged and even got rained on! Remember, you’re the driver for these activities so plan them into your week and enjoy spending quality family time getting healthier.
My attitude
How I look at exercise and eating the right foods directly impacts upon the attitude of my kids. If I tell my kids that exercising is hard or not fun, I’ll influence them to have the same attitude. If I am always dieting and telling my kids that it is hard to lose weight, they will learn the same behaviour. One of the most important gift s you can give to your family is the gift of a positive attitude.
Pediatricians at the University of Colorado at Denver have shown that very small changes in lifestyle can stem the epidemic of obesity in children. Families of overweight children, seven to fourteen years of age were asked to make two lifestyle changes:
- To walk an additional 2000 steps a day as measured by pedometers; and
- To eliminate 100 calories per day by replacing a source of dietary sugar with a non-caloric beverage or sweetener.
At the end of the six-month trial, most children had lost weight. (2)
THE POWER TO INFLUENCE YOUR COMMUNITY
Once we have taken care of ourselves and our families, we can be a power for good in the community. This can start with our immediate circle of friends. Instead of meeting friends for coffee, why not catch up whilst going for a walk. Meet your friends after school and let the kids run around together. Start a sports team with your friends to have fun getting fit.
Encourage healthy snacks whenever you get together. Encourage your child’s school to embrace healthy events like a fun runs and gala sports days and discourage fundraisers that sell chocolates and lollies. Volunteer to help run a morning fitness group at your child’s school, or get a group together at work to go for a walk each lunchtime. Get those fundraising snack boxes out of your office and encourage healthy fundraising.
You may think that you’re just one woman but you have the power to do great good – for yourself, for your family and for your community. Sustainable change in our community will only come from individuals who recognise the link between a healthy lifestyle and wanting to make changes to the way they and their families live.
If we can gift our children with our example as happy and healthy role models then hopefully we will see a shift in the obesity crisis and we can work towards a society in which everyone can exercise greater control over their nutrition and physical activity, and lead a healthier life.
References:
1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19859077
2. http://www.drmirkin.com/public/ezine111807.html
Sarah Clasen admits it: She doesn’t have the motivation to exercise by herself. She has good intentions but they never eventuate. Her thinking changed when she found her exercise motivation; she joined a fitness boot camp.... 
Having been training with the Bulgarian Bag for around three years now, one of my favourite things about it is the fact you can easily combine strength and cardio to create a highly effective metabolic workout.... 
One of the greatest benefits of training on the TRX is its ability to force the athlete to strengthen the extremely important, yet oft en under conditioned, stabilising muscles. Th is full-body workout has been designed to not only increase...