A Mom’s Guide To Helping Your Child Stay in Great Shape Until They Reach College

If your child is a little overweight at the moment you need to do something about it. The main reason you should help them stay in shape is because they deserve the chance to decide what to do with their own body when they are older. Right now they are far too young and obviously love cake and chocolate too much. They shouldn't have to spend a year of their life losing weight when they get to college. Even if they decide to drink and eat too much in the future at least it's their choice.

Children are far too young to spend hours in the gym pumping iron and you can't send them on 10 mile runs on the weekend. Luckily there are thousands of ways you can help to keep your child in shape. Once you know how easy it is you'll be kicking yourself you never thought of them before. We're going to look at some of the best things you can do right now and just remember they will thank you for it in the future.

Take them camping

If you're looking for something exciting to do on the weekend you could take the whole family on a camping trip. Once you are there you can spend each day hiking through the woods. Your child won't think this is a fitness session and they will enjoy it even if they are tired. It could even get you a little fitter at the same time which is nice. Spending the weekend walking through the woods is better than sitting around playing computer games.

Joining a club

There are thousands of clubs out there that your child could join. Each one would give them a chance to get out of the house for a few hours each week. You could start looking at what sports your child likes. If they don't like any is it possible they haven't tried them all? You never know what someone will like until they can try it for themselves. Not only will joining a club help your child stay lean, but it will improve their social life.

Outdoor activities

If you are looking after your child and you have a few hours to spare you can choose to take them somewhere that requires them to move. You could take them down to the beach, to the park, or even for a swim at the local pool. I guess the main point to take from this is that you don't need to just sit watching TV with them when you have a few hours to spare. If you sit about doing nothing you are just rubbing your laziness off on them.

Make food fun

The reason children don't like healthy food is because it's usually boring. If they see a pizza or some cake sitting on the table they get excited. Healthy food can actually taste really great, but it requires you to be creative. You can't just throw a salad down on their plate and expect them to eat it. Cook something more exciting and they won't think twice about sticking it in their mouth. If this means you'll need to learn how to cook new foods it's something you've got to do.

Being creative

I'm guessing your child hates vegetables and they would rather eat cake. Perhaps they don't mind fruit, but they would still rather eat a chocolate bar any day of the week. When they don't eat fruit and veggies they are missing a healthy treat filled with so many nutrients. You need to be smart and sneak them some fruit and veggies when they don't expect it. You could make smoothies because for some reason children think of them in a completely different light than say… a carrot stick.

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[custom_author=Bryan Juan]