A new study of 8,550 four-year-old children (in the U.S.) were 40% less likely to be obese when they practiced these three healthy habits:
- Eat dinner together with their family more than 5 times a week
- Get at least 10.5 hours of sleep per night
- Watch less than 2 hours of TV a day
These findings make a lot of sense to me.
Let’s take them one by one.
Eating Together With the Family
My son is 17 now and it’s difficult to get him to eat dinner with us as much as I like. If he were to eat dinner with us, he would be getting more of a balanced meal. But instead, he likes to go out to eat with his friends…or catch something to eat later, which is usually not too nutritious.
If young children are not lucky enough to have the opportunity to sit down and eat with the family because that’s not something that’s happening in their home, then…what are they eating? Does it come out of a crinkly bags and rhyme with hips? Yes, we are a convenience nation. Just watch the movie, Food Inc.
Getting 10.5 Hours of Sleep Per Night
What I’ve been learning about not getting enough sleep (thanks to my own familiarity with insomnia – in fact. it’s 2:31 AM and I’m sitting here writing this blog!)…is not enough sleep makes you H-U-N-G-R-Y!
It makes you crave more carbs. Something to do with the brain. When you do eventually fall asleep and wake up with a sleep deficit…you have a bigger appetite than if you would have slept a healthy amount of hours for your age.
So imagine if we just ensured kids were getting enough of sleep? That sounds like an easy fix, although for some parents, simple is not a way of life. I know, I was there.
For instance, being a single parent who has to get up at the crack of dawn and put kids to bed early which leaves her very little time to spend with them. There are all sorts of scenarios, I’m sure. But it is worth coming up with solutions. Obesity is a serious problem.
Watch Less Than 2 Hours of TV a Day
This one is a no-brainer. Watching TV and eating junk-food go hand in hand. Over-do it with one and chances are you’re gonna over-do it with the other. We must find a way to model living life fully…away from the TV. And our children will learn from us.
I think this information is helpful…and it’s not like it’s super-duper difficult to make these changes (because perfection is not what this is about. Improvement is the key. Baby steps…transforming over time). A little effort here and there can go a long way.
What do you think? What’s your experience?
To read the full article on CNN, click here:
http://bit.ly/9gwft0
