How to help your kids get fit & healthy

Helping your kids get and stay fit really isn't as difficult as it seems. But it is extremely important, especially since new evidence proves that fat children become fat adults with many serious health problems.

Kids simply need healthier diets and more activity. Here are some tips for helping them get those things...

(eDiets.com) -- The childhood obesity rate is raging out of control. More kids than ever -- boys and girls as young as 8 years -- are suffering the effects of type 2 diabetes. Concerned researchers at the American Academy of Pediatrics say as many as 1-in-3 children are overweight or obese...

That's the bad news.

The good news is that there are things you can do to thwart or reverse this disturbing trend.

If the notion of shipping your kid off to "fat camp" or dragging them to a meeting crammed with overweight adults makes you cringe, you’ll be relieved to know there are better alternatives... starting right here today. Start by making healthy eating a family affair.

In addition to the many personalized eating plans already offered, eDiets has partnered with the authors of Trim Kids (HarperCollins) to create a new meal plan perfect for the parents of overweight children.

The eDiets Trim Kids Program is a comprehensive 12-week plan that recognizes children require unique strategies and a different approach to weight management. In other words, this is not your mother's weight loss plan.

The groundbreaking program is designed to help parents manage their child's weight goals along with the supervision of their pediatrician or family physician. Parents and children participate together. The Trim Kids Program is a kid-friendly treatment for overweight children. It provides meals and recipes designed for a child’s tastes. You also get weekly tips, suggested activities, online meetings, chats and much, much more.

Most parents would do anything, even die for their children. Ask yourself this question: would you live -- as in a healthily lifestyle -- for little Johnny or Susie's sake? Would you introduce a regimen that consists of healthy eating and regular physical activity to save your youngster from a host of medical and psychological problems?

Statistics show that children who have both an overweight mother and father are 80 percent more likely to be overweight too. While you can’t always control the nutritional environment outside the home, you can get a handle on what goes on when the young ones are in your care -- and that's at least 50 percent of the time, says Trim Kids author Melinda Sothern, PhD.

Dr. Sothern has plenty to say on the subject of childhood obesity. As a licensed clinical exercise physiologist and associate professor of research and director of the Section of Health Promotion at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, she makes her living battling the Goliath of childhood illnesses -- overweight.

The statistics are extremely unsettling. Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions.

"Over the last 30 years, the environment has changed so that children and adults are less physically active by design both at school and work," Sothern tells eDiets. "Food during the last couple of decades has gotten more 'dense'. Certain foods have more sugar and fat and, thus, more calories.

"Food also has more calories. For taste reasons, we’ve piled on the high-fat, high-sugar foods on menus. On top of that, portions have gotten bigger. It’s a trend that up until about two to three years ago was firmly in place. Now we're beginning to see a turnaround only because of the advocacy of different scientific and public health groups." "

Many people want to point the finger of blame at the parents. But Sothern notes that once your children leave home, they face an entire world that seems to be trying to make them overweight. From the glut of fast food restaurants to poorly planned school lunches, reduced PE and recess, the dietary and fitness landmines are plentiful.

But that doesn’t mean you should sit back and accept it. Fight back with expert help from Sothern and eDiets.

For starters, remove certain "weakness" or unhealthy foods from your home by deep-sixing the donuts, sodas, pizza, french fries, ice cream, cookies and candy. You don’t have to cut them out completely, but you surely don't have to make them easily accessible in your home.

Sothern says nature and nurture both play roles in the onset of childhood obesity. While genetics can make you prone to obesity, it’s the environment that causes it. The one-two punch of too much food and too little exercise can wreak some major havoc on your child’s health.

Not sure if your child is at risk? Sothern can help. She says for kids under the age of 5 or 6, weight doesn’t matter... UNLESS it's obvious the boy or girl is seriously overweight. After the age of 5, parents should consult with a pediatrician who will use a growth chart to make a true diagnosis. If your child is clearly above the 95th percentile for more than six to 12 months, it’s time for action. Chances are this isn’t a "stage" that the child will outgrow.

The changes don’t have to be drastic. The first step is getting educated -- and that's where Sothern and the Trim Kids program come in.

"I think parents too often just accept the pressures of the outside world," Sothern says. "They throw their hands up and ask, 'What can I do about it?' You have to become educated about healthy food and fitness and show you can take some control of your child’s life to protect them from becoming overweight. You do have total control over your home environment.

"It’s not easy to tell your family to start doing something different. It’s baby steps. A drastic shift in behavior isn’t likely to work. This week your goal is to go to fast food restaurants three times instead of four. Reduce television watching to two hours or less."

For parents, it’s not simply a case of do as I say, not as I do. Sothern says now is the time for parents to step up to the dinner plate and behave as a positive role model for their children.

While it may seem a mind-numbing task, it’s simpler than you may think... especially with the eDiets Trim Kids Program. The easy-to-make recipes and meal plans are always at your fingertips. If you've been struggling to find healthy meals that will please a finicky child’s palate, this is the solution you’ve been looking for. From grilled cheese sandwiches and healthy pizzas to the Anyday Sundae, you'll discover a smorgasbord of kid-friendly foods. There’s even a fitness plan especially designed for your child’s age, medical condition and level of overweight along with hundreds of parenting tips to encourage healthy eating and increased physical activity.

It’s important to keep in mind you are not putting your child on a diet. You are changing their lifestyle in support of the healthier habits that will get to the root of the weight problem.

In the meantime, here are 10 ways to get you and your child more physically active. Put away the video games and remote control and take these steps in the right direction...

1. Ask your child to walk briskly whenever and wherever he walks.

2. Create an environment for active play both inside and outside the home.

3. Participate in activities the entire family can enjoy together.

4. Expose your child to as many different kinds of activity as possible in a nurturing, non-intimidating environment.

5. Provide opportunities for normal-weight children to safely climb, run and jump to help develop muscle strength and bone density. Consult a physician about which activities are safe for your overweight child.

6. Don’t impose adult exercise goals on young children who have an immature metabolic system.

7. Reserve at least one day each weekend dedicated to fun family fitness activities.

8. Don’t draw attention to sedentary activities. Rather, spend your energy praising your child when he chooses to be active and play.

9. Require that when he watches television, he has to do some kind of exercise or movement during commercials. If he’s watching a movie or video, turn it off every 30 minutes and ask him or her to dance, jump rope, or do crunches for 5 to 10 minutes.

10. Offer choices such as vacuum your room, walk the dog, shovel snow, dance in your room, rake the leaves or go for a bike ride.

Click here to learn more about the new eDiets Trim Kids program...