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Dear Subscriber,
Alison and I often take our girls on walks
through our neighborhood here in Albuquerque.
Almost every time we do, I am shocked to see kids
who are obviously unhealthy and out of shape.
I'm talking about kids who are as young as eight,
but from the looks of them have already graduated
to the state of Couch Potato.
Some people might think this is a topic that
should not be discussed; that it is just too
sensitive an issue. But the fact is that this is
a seriously dangerous health problem, and if we
don't talk about it and start moving these kids
in the right direction, it's only going to get
worse.
So what should parents do to make sure their
children grow up healthy? There are a lot of
potential answers to this question, but if you
will just follow the five keys I have written
below, you will certainly be on the right path.
1) DRINK WATER, WATER, WATER
It is recommended that children drink around 2
glasses of milk per day, and an occasional glass
of fruit juice (100% fruit juice, not the
artificial stuff) is also good, but your child
should primarily be drinking WATER. For both
children and adults, at least 75% of the liquid
you consume should be clear, clean, H20. Water
is the only beverage that efficiently and
effectively hydrates the tissues of your body,
and it is also the only one that properly clears
the waste products from your cells.
Keep carbonated/caffeinated/sugary beverages out
of your refrigerator at all costs, and start your
children on water as soon as they are ready to
move on from their milk-only baby diet. The only
reason most kids don't like water is that they've
been hyped up on sugar-filled juices and sodas
since they were old enough to hold a sippy-cup.
But if you start them early on the healthy habit
of drinking water, this will preserve their
health and their weight more than any other
single thing you can do.
2) SNACK FOODS ONLY AFTER MEALS
Everyone loves junk food. I wouldn't be
realistic if I said that you should never let
your child have any. But you can't give them
access to junk food any time they want it.
Restrict their junk food eating to after lunch
and after dinner, as a dessert. That way, they
can't spoil their appetite for their real meals,
and they will learn the healthy habit of only
eating junk in moderation. Besides, a single
candy bar is not too big a deal; it's when kids
make entire meals out of snacks that they start
throwing their body chemistry out of balance and
gaining excess weight.
3) PACK YOUR CHILD'S LUNCH
When your little ones go off to school, send
their lunches with them. The greatest culprit in
the declining health of our youth is the public
schools. Occasionally, healthy foods are offered
in the cafeteria, but mostly the kids live on
French fries and cinnamon rolls. Even worse,
most schools now have vending machines where the
students can purchase every manner of junk food,
and simply eat a bag of chips, a bag of M&Ms, and
a coke for lunch. So don't just pack your kid's
lunch, make sure their pockets are free of change
as well.
4) KEEP YOUR CHILD PHYSICALLY ACTIVE
All kids are born to be active. Have you ever
met a two-year-old who didn't spend hours every
day running around? Make sure your children keep
this up as they grow older. Limit their access
to the television, encourage their participation
in sports, and above all, set a good example for
them. If they grow up seeing Mommy & Daddy
exercising, they will want to do it too. Get
them outdoors as much as you can, whether for a
hike in the mountains, Frisbee-tossing in the
park, or even just a nice walk around the
neighborhood. A body in motion will be a healthy
body, and that's exactly what we want for our
children.
5) DON'T MAKE EXCUSES
People these days want to say that everything is
genetic. That's a convenient theory, because it
keeps them from having to take responsibility for
their lives. But it's simply not true. Can
anyone really believe that childhood obesity and
diabetes rates in America have skyrocketed in the
past fifty years due to *genetics*? Seems to me
that if it was hereditary, then we'd all be as
thin and athletic as our grandparents were (ever
glanced through a high school year book from the
1950's?).
The bottom line is that, as parents, our first
responsibility is to the health of our children.
And the three most important ways to fulfill that
responsibility are to keep our children drinking
right, eating right, and staying active.
Here's to the health of the next generation.
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Have a wonderful week!
Sincerely,
Paul
Paul & Alison Martin
Noss Galen Baby LLC
www.NossGalenBaby.com
Copyright, Noss Galen Baby LLC 2005
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