About 36% of American adults are obese according to government statistics. Roughly 70% of us are overweight. Is your child suffering because of your physical condition? What can you do about it?
You see these numbers. If you fall into one of those categories you know the risks associated with your condition, at least as they pertain to your health. And maybe you're OK with that. But you can only be OK with that if you're only living for yourself. What about the way your health impacts the lives of your family? How does your health impact the health of your children?
As a military veteran and a health expert my interests in physical health and personal responsibility and leadership run hand-in-hand. I believe that the way I discipline myself, heavily influences the growth and development of my son.
If I look in the mirror, am I the picture I imagine him to be twenty odd years from now? If not, is it because I don't believe he'll follow me? Is it because I'm holding out hope that he'll magically be better than me?
Perhaps you're thinking, "It's not about the mirror, it's on the inside that counts!" And I would agree with you 100%. But you know, at least to some extent, that there is a very strong correlation between your own habits or vices, and the person staring back at you in the mirror. You also know that The person staring back at you in the mirror is an insight into the overall internal health of your body, and an indicator as to how long and how fulfilled of a life you will be able to live.
So, how do obese parents affect their kids?
1) Obese parents make obese kids
Studies have shown that the primary health risk of American children and teenagers is obesity.
The primary cause of obesity in children is an obese parent.
Nearly 80% of obese 10-14 year olds with an obese parent will be an obese adult.
The studies are overwhelming. If your child grows up to become obese, you probably had something to do with it.
It makes sense though doesn't it? Obese parents are not physically active, making it more difficult to influence children to be physically active.
Obese parents eat unhealthy diets, purchase unhealthy foods, and feed those same foods to their kids.
I'll never forget the night I was working in an after school program and a young mother brought her three pre school aged daughters in. She set down three 20 oz Dr. Peppers, and a bag of marshmallows and said, "Please make sure they eat their supper!"
I was pretty angry.
2) Obese parents can cause emotional and psychological problems in their children.
In my experience, adult children who grew up with obese parents have a hard time respecting those parents. It may not be specifically because of the weight problem, but because of the severe character flaws or lack of discipline that led to the obesity.
Then of course are the many studies detailing the psychological effect that childhood obesity has on the children themselves. If your weight problems contribute to the obesity of your child, you are probably also responsible for some level of psychological or emotional distress. Even to the point of depression or suicidal thoughts.
As you can see, these reasons kind of build on themselves, and I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but let's state the obvious one more time.
3) If you are responsible for your child's obesity, you must also take responsibility for the increased health risks associated with obesity. You are setting your child up for:
gallstones,
type 2 diabetes,
high blood pressure,
high cholesterol and triglycerides,
coronary artery disease (CAD),
a stroke,
sleep apnea,
arthritis,
... the list just keeps on going.
Am I trying to make you feel guilty? If you are obese, am I saying there's no hope?
Of course not. I'm simply asking you to take advantage of the help that's available and make the changes necessary. If not for yourself, then for your kids!
My friends, Greg and Kristen, don't mind if I tell you their story.
Greg and Kristen are fantastic people. They're fun-loving parents of a nine-year-old son, Lane.
Greg and Kristen are severely overweight. And they suffer the consequences every day. They are always feeling tired and sick. They have constant irritations like headaches, allergies, and skin irritations. They have chronic back and knee problems. They have high blood pressure and cholesterol, signs of future heart problems and early death.
Because of these and other problems associated with their obesity, the last ten years have taken most of the fun out of their lives. Their moods are constantly fluctuating, they pound down caffeine and sugar to get by hour to hour. They live in constant frustration at not being able to do all of the things they'd like to be doing with their little boy.
Every time I see them they're saying things like, "Man, I really oughtta lose about 50 pounds. I know I would feel better. I just love to eat and drink sweet tea." Or, "I went on a diet for a couple of days. I started feeling better but I was craving Wendy's last night and I just had to do it. Now I feel like crap."
Meanwhile, their nine-year-old son is chugging a 20 oz soda and downing a bag of chips.
Finally, I get up the nerve to sit down with my friends and I give them a challenge. I lay out a couple of simple steps, and challenge them to be disciplined for 30 days. I tell them I'll help them, only as long as they stay committed.
Two months later, they've each lost about 30 pounds, and they're still shedding fat on the quick. Oh, and chronic pain being gone, they ran a 5K last week.
The point isn't really about them though. When they began their journey, all of a sudden they were extremely conscious of what their son was eating. Suddenly, his behavior was improved, he stopped getting sick every time a little bug came through the school, and he was full of the energy a little boy should have.
The transformation they're experiencing required four things.
1. They finally decided enough was enough
2. They realized the effect their condition was having on their child
3. They received a plan that wasn't too easy, but was manageable and allowed them to rapidly meet their goals.
4. They stuck with that plan for long enough to see real results.
I believe that what I do affects my child. Too often I see families of people who are raising their children in an unhealthy lifestyle. I don't get angry or judge them. I think many of them don't realize the danger that they're in and don't really consider the effect it's having on their families.
I'm asking you to make that consideration and decide to make a change.
The fact is, what we do and how we live doesn't just have an impact on our children. It literally molds them into who they are and how they live. Sure, there are a few exceptions, and there are children who grow to adulthood who want to be nothing like their parents and purpose to be as different as possible. Even those children have been impacted and hurt by the lack of character in their parent or parents.
I simply don't want to be that parent and you don't either.
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