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Is Technology Causing Your Child’s Obesity?

My regular readers know that I grew up in the ’70s and we didn’t have game-boys or DSs, let alone iPhones, Wii, or X-Box gaming systems. We played outside and did our best to play for “five more minutes” when Mom called us for dinner.

We must ask ourselves, in today’s society, do video games make children fat? Let’s explore this topic.

There are three types of children:

1. Those focused on sports and not really interested in video games.

2. Those focused on sports who spend part of their free time playing.

3. Those with no interest in sports who spend all their free time playing, to the point where they do nothing else.

To clarify, by the term “sports” we are including non-compulsory traditional sports (baseball, soccer, volleyball, soccer, etc.), cheerleading, dancing, gymnastics, swimming, cycling, running, weightlifting and any other program as a team or alone. that provides exercise for a period of time of 30 minutes or more, daily or at least three times a week. This does not include required classes like gymnastics or physical education class.

So what is the connection between video games and obesity in children?

A typical child spends eight hours a day in a classroom. Maybe thirty minutes in gym class. Outside of those thirty minutes, the only time a child needs to be active and exercise their body is after school hours or on weekends. If they are not involved in an activity that allows them to move their body, they become very sedentary and with the passage of time, weight gain begins. Children’s eating habits are not the best. We all know that. Chicken nuggets, hamburgers, French fries, ice cream, macaroni and cheese, pop tarts, and juice or soda boxes are the staples of the children’s diet plan. Unless of course your parents are focused on health and wellness and then the diet plan changes to a healthier one, which will generally also include exercise and activity. If a child spends most of his time sitting, either at school or at home, in front of a television or a game console, in addition to eating foods rich in starches and sugars, how is he expected to have a healthy body? It is simply not possible.

Add to that the problems we experience in our society with ADD and ADHD. Maybe those problems are related to inactivity and bad diets? We did not have ADD or ADHD in the 1970s. The children burned off excess energy and ate healthier meals. Fast food was a pleasure, not an everyday thing. Obesity and concentration problems were not as prevalent as they are today. All of this occurs simply because people do not take personal responsibility for themselves and for passing these lessons on to the next generation.

The best thing about all this is that we can change things easily. WE CAN CHOOSE how we treat our body. Parents who complain that their children eat nothing but fast food or junk should step back and look at this from an objective stance rather than as a victim. I have yet to watch a child get into a car, go to a fast food restaurant, and buy himself a happy meal. Parents have taught them about this food, taught them to eat poorly, and pushed them to engage in video games instead of engaging with their child and forming a bond that will allow them to grow and expand to become a beneficial member of the society. Yes, I did. I believe that children who are not taught about self-respect and personal responsibility are more likely to be obese and victimized as adults. They become a burden on society through health care programs, welfare programs, and even disability payments that would be unnecessary if they chose to treat their body like a temple rather than a garbage can.

The cycle begins in childhood. Move into adolescence and adulthood. As parents, we are fully responsible for not only teaching our children the value of being respectful of themselves and feeding our body and mind with healthy, nutrient-rich thoughts and foods, but also showing them the value of each of us LEADING with the example with our own mind. and the body.

The next time your child asks you to eat his fast food in front of the video game console, take a moment and step back to assess the situation. Ask yourself how you can make a different decision. A choice that will have an immediate impact on your child’s life, for decades to come, and even for generations to come.

Be responsible for yourself. Loving yourself. Be respectful of yourself. Make difference. Choose to live differently. Choose to teach those around you by leading by example. Be happy! Live life to the fullest! You deserve to have it all!

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