The prevalence overweight and obesity is quite common amongst children now a days. As a parent, it can sometimes be difficult to tell that your child is overweight.
A heavy child or teenager carries a psychological burden, especially if he or she is the only family member with a weight problem. Its commonly seen that overweight children have more difficulty in controlling their weight later on, as adults.
As a parent, there’s lots you can do to help your child become a healthier weight. The below list is complied from the collective experience of our parents and is both; practical and implementable:
Be a role model: You can encourage your child to be active and eat well by doing so yourself.
Get active: All children should aim to get at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day for good health, but it doesn’t need to be all at once. Try out cycling, skipping, swimming, dancing and fitness workouts.
Managing portions: As a thumb rule, serve meals with small servings and let your child ask for more if they’re still hungry.
Healthy eating: Discourage your child from having sugary or high-fat foods like sweets, cakes, biscuits, some sugary cereals, and sugar-sweetened soft and fizzy drinks. Try out raw seasonal fruits.
Managing screen time: Limit the time they spend on inactive pastimes like watching TV, playing video games and playing on electronic devices to maximum of 2 hours per day.
Ample sleep time: Children from age 5 yrs to 13 years need 9-11 hrs of sleep in a day. Lack of sleep can also affect their mood and behavior. Build a routine and stick to it.
Sportyze is a kids engagement company, we run health and wellness programs for children, all through their Tots till Teens years. Our fitness programs are sports base and help children remain fit and healthy. We believe that Healthy Children have Happier Parents.
Explore our Parents resources to access resources and relevant tips.
If your child has a medical condition, the advice in this article may not be relevant and you should check with a GP or hospital doctor first.
