Let's Move

My main focus of today’s blog was going to be about the www.facebook.com/letsmove which I LOVE!! We must be vigilant in getting our children out there and moving and we as adults need to as well.

Food Labels Not Really the Problem

 

However, last night the whole food label revamping reared its ugly head again. I must say again how I feel about this. Last month, January 31^st I wrote a blog about the Food Labels change that was being proposed www.timerdiet.com/blog/food-labels-needing-update-really/  

I am going to have to disagree with Mrs. Obama on this one. I see no reason whatsoever to change the food labels that we have. Ok so read the previous blog and make your own conclusion. Let’s Move on to Let’s Move!!

Daily Activity Is Important

Children must have daily activity built into their schedule as young as possible. When my kids were young (around 6 months old) we did “mommy and me” swim sessions at the YMCA. So obviously this was probably more about me at this age, but it carried on as they got a little older. When my girls were around 3 and 4 years old I got them involved in gymnastics at the YMCA and roller skating at the local skating rink. When they were 5 and 6 years old we were skiing. I didn’t go skiing for the first time until I was 20 years old. I honestly hated my first time but, I persevered and now I love it! At 6 and 7 they were in PeeWee cheerleading and from there cheerleading was their love. I guarantee that those girls worked out almost every day as cheerleaders. Those girls never got enough credit for all that they did!! (Ok soap box moment)

So why was this so important to me? Many of you don’t know but I was a teenage mother, and I was always worried that I wouldn’t be good enough. This internal fear propelled me to do whatever I could to give my daughters a “normal” childhood. I was divorced shortly after my youngest was born and child support was minimal and usually non-existent. So everything I did I did so with very modest means. I have to admit my thought process was not so much about physical fitness as it was about my kids having fun and doing things that I thought they would enjoy. Which brings me to my next observation…

 

We Want Our Kids to Have Fun

 

But, our kid’s definition of fun has changed, and not for the good as it pertains to the physical activity of our children. Kids these days define fun as computers, tablets, phones, gaming systems, and other new technology that wasn’t even around when my kids were young. So I can understand how parents are wanting to let their kids do things that are “fun” but, we as parents need to balance technological fun with physical fun. We must include psychical fun in our children’s lives. The easiest way to do this is organized activities. There may be a some fees involved, but I urge you to search out various ways to cover the costs or find locations that are not charging high fees. Here are some ideas to get the costs covered, and not just for your child but for others, too:

 

·         Car Washes

·         Selling of goods promoting the cause

·         Finding a sponsor—Many businesses would be very willing to do this

·         Find church groups that have athletic programs

·         Local YMCA

·         Local public and/or after school program

·         Have your child start a business

o   Growing and selling garden foods

o   Babysitting

o   Mowing Lawns

 

Let’s Not Forget the Obvious

 

Our children look to us as parents when deciding how to live their lives. The alternative is that they look to us as to how not to live their lives. Decide which way you want your children to look at you and their childhood. Do they see parents who care about their physical activity? What they eat, by minimizing junk foods? Get out and walk as a family, go for a hike, maybe get even more adventurous and go skiing, water skiing, gardening, picking up leaves, shoveling snow!! Do it all as a family, and your children will take notice.

Sherri Sue Fisher, author of TimerDiet

www.timerdiet.com