“Parents can influence how active their children are and their likelihood of being overweight or obese” Statistics Canada
A new statistic published by Statistics Canada measured this influence from data collected from using accelerometers. They found that the more the parent moved,the more the children moved. For every 1 000 steps the parent took, the child took an extra 200-350 extra steps.
They also found that if you have an obese parent, you child will be twice as likely to be overweight or obese compared to the child who’s parent was not obese.
These stats are not surprising to me.
We are suppose to be role models for our children.
They are learning through us, and others around us. If they see the norm to eat burgers, fries, granola bars and juice everyday (just an example … and I hope no one is actually doing this) … than that’s what they believe to be healthy and normal. How will they know about vegetables and fruits and what a balanced meal looks like?
Same thing goes for if you’re in front of your TV all day playing video games or watching TV … your child will be doing the same thing .. and not getting the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity a day. This is another reasons leading to obese children.
So to my parents …. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE be a positive role model for your children. Educate them on eating healthy; educate them on being active; take them outside and go on adventure walks; go for a bike ride. You don’t need to spend lots of money on sports and fancy equipment to be active with your children. You also don’t have to spend lots of money on eating healthy!
Small steps and daily wins!
You can read more about the Stats here
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/170621/dq170621a-eng.pdf