Friday, December 21, 2007

Childhood Obesity is a Choice

I'm sure you're aware that childhood obesity is a real problem. According to the Mayo Clinic, over 25 million kids are overweight or in danger of becoming obese. And overweight children are at higher risk of developing: Type 2 diabetes, Metabolic syndrome, High blood pressure, Asthma and other respiratory problems, sleep disorders, liver disease, early puberty or menarche, eating disorders, skin infections and more.

When you think about it, it's a choice. Aren't kids are supposed to be out playing? And we as parents are supposed to be monitoring what they eat, whether it's at home or at school. But so many kids are TV addicts and so many parents don't have a clue how to eat for themselves, much less guide their kids' habits. And the proliferation of awful foods and sodas in school vending machines doesn't make it any easier. So what matters is how we make choices for our kids, and how we teach our kids to make choices.

Beachbody is getting more and more involved, mostly through the efforts of our MDB coaches who are taking matters into their own hands.

We've marketed Tony and The Kids for years, and now we're adding a title to the cause this January which will be fun step in the right direction:

Shaun T has a new workout coming in late January; Shaun T's Fit Kids Club, which includes two 25-minute workouts on one DVD with a fun wall poster that shows healthy snack tips and a kids-guide for reading nutrition labels. I think it will appeal to kids form age 5 to 14.

The release date is mid-January for MDB coaches and late January for everyone else.

If you have a kid in grade school, you know how frustrated teachers get at recess time on rainy days. I'm giving a copy of the DVD to my daughter's school and giving the poster to her classroom so they have some additional healthy messaging around them at snack time.

Of course when it comes to fighting childhood obesity, I think the most compelling strategy is to get parents active and eating right. Show them how you're making smart choices. Kids learn choices from their parents. When kids see their parents working out, they see that it's an important part of their lifestyle. It might not happen right now, but at some point, that child will "get it" and remember how it's done because they saw mom and dad choosing health. "Hey mom, where's that Shaun T DVD?"

Same goes for eating. Teaching kids healthy food choices is not nearly as compelling as serving them the right portion size and food options. You learn what you eat.

The best of all this is the upside: Kids who are active and eating well have a real chance of avoiding the harsh trends of obesity-linked diseases. And healthy kids make healthy grand kids. It's time for us to help them learn the importance of this lifestyle, by example, and by guiding their choices.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's so cool!!!

Joey1459

Anonymous said...

Hi Carl!

You are so right - obesity is running rampant among our children! And to add to the list of reasons why kids don't go outside these days....at least in some communities....there is a greater chance that they will be shot and killed for no reason at all. This is going to be GREAT! Thank you for your dedication to fitness for ALL! :)
Merry Christmas and HEALTHY New Year!!

Clarissa (misscmac)

zunzuncita said...

i love that you are taking interest on that.
yamy

Anonymous said...

I've got to say that I can't WAIT for this video to come out! As a past heavy child (now fit thanks to you!) I know that the problem stems from the lack of clear instructions for kids...THIS makes it clear and simple.

Thanks again for another terrific product!

Anonymous said...

Although my son's not in the childhod obese category (thank goodness!), after seeing my ongoing results with my BB DVds, he's supercharged into doing this workout...and he'll learn how to dance, too, which is what he'd wanted to do anyway :)!!

Anonymous said...

Hey Carl,
I was obese when I was a kid and im now 20 years old. The only reason that I was able to lose that weight is because my parents put me on a VERY strict diet program when I was 11 years old (but I also was determined to lose weight). Its not the kid's choice to be overweight, put candy in front of them and they will eat it!! So I think that creating such a program is awesome and I wish that it was around when I was younger :) Its a shame that parents of obese children have let them get that way, its the worst thing being overweight on a kid's self-esteem.