How To Encourage Your Children To Exercise

Nowdays, our children are unfortuanately being raised by television, video games, and internet. As a direct result, our children are becoming more and more overweight.
Children are supposed to be our pride and joy and are our future.

As parents, we need to stop allowing our children to continue to be raised by television, video games, and the internet. I remember when I was a child, those things were considered luxuaries that we got after we played outside. We would be playing at the park, riding bikes, playing tag or some other game. Here is a treadmill for children.

I want to encourage you to get your children back to those times. Even if they are not involved in organized sports, make sure they do some sort of physical exercise regardless of the type. Check out Children and Organized Sports.

Children deserve to be healthy and fit just as much as adults. The only problem is that it is left up to you to make sure that is a reality. Children will exercise if they are given the opportunity.

Stop Judging Others On What They Look Like

I am so tired of the way that we as a nation treat those that are over-weight. The world as made it seem as if over-weight people are less than, inferior, or somehow not deserving. This is abosolutely ridiculous and a direct insult to God. There are countless scriptures on how we are not to judge others. Matthew 7:1-2.

We have absolutely no right to judge or treat those that are overweight any differently. God created us in is likeness and image Genesis 1:26.

We don't know what they may have experienced, if they have a medical issue, a addiction to food, or whatever the case may be. It is up to us to love them just as we are commanded by God. If a over-weight person reaches out to you, then treat them as you would want God to treat them. We are all God's children. Check out Why So Many Over-eat"

We need to stop tolerating in our daily lives and activities. Maybe once we do that, maybe just maybe the mass media will take our lead!

Exercising At Home

There are many of you that prefer to exercise at home. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, as long as you are doing something. I said it before, there is no golden rule that says that you have to go to the gym. It is by preference. You can use a exercise ball or dumbbells

However, there are a few guidelines that you need to follow if exercising at home.
1. Make sure you are in a safe area for exercise. Verify that there is enough room for you to exercise without putting yourself in danger.

2. Verify that you will not be distracted. Set aside a specific time frame. This is not the time to answer the phone, cook dinner, help the children with homework.

3. Still keep a set schedule as if you were going somewhere. Stick to the routine of exercising at the same time if possible. Many fall off when exercising at home, because they fail this step.

4. If possible, dedicate a room to exercise. If you have to constantly move the coffee table, you will be less likely to continue.

5. Consider DVD or a specific program that you enjoy and will get you moving.

You can still get a excellent work out at home, but you just have to follow these basic guidelines in order to see the desired results.

Organized Sports for Children

Organized sports can be a great way to incorporate exercise into not only in your life but also in the lives of your children. If used properly they can me a tremendous teaching tool for so much more than exercise. They can provide socialization, healthy competition, accountability, and plain old fun. There are some basic guidelines that you must follow for children. Such as:

1.) Remember it should be fun for the children. They do not exercise for health benefits, they exercise because they want the fun out of it. The fact that it is exercise is just a added benefit. Don't take the fun away.

2.) It needs to be very little pressure. This goes back to #1, when they feel too much pressure they become stressed.

3.) Give them an out and a chance to get in something else if they change their minds. Children change their minds like the weather. However, if they are having fun they will be less likely to change their mind as quickly.

4.) You can pick one, maybe two organized sports but not too many at once. They need variety, but it should be a part of their life. They should not be consumed with them all of the time.

5.) Keep it friendly. Be sure to always practice good sportsmanship and do not under any circumstances tolerate bad sportsmanship.

6.) Teach them the value of working as a team. A team is a group of individuals not a single person. Let them see and feel their accountability and the accountability of their team members.

7.) Use them as a opportunity to get involved with your children and to show interest in what they like to do. Children need to see that you care about what they are doing on a day to day basis.

How Do I Get My Child To Eat Right

Getting your children to eat right can be quite a challenge. They are faced with peer pressure from a very early age with play dates, school, and mass media. When they go to their friends house they are not guaranteed to have the healthy meals that you will prepare them. Also when they go to school, children are notorious for trading food on their lunch.
Then to top it off, they are bombarded with unhealthy alternatives on television. So how do you make sure they are eating healthy? The key is to make sure you prepare healthy foods for them at home, where you can control what they eat. However, do not deny them the not so healthy alternatives all of the time.
Let them have them on occasion, while explaining to them the importance of eating healthy overall. This is a great resources to give you tips on how to get your children to eat rightEat This Not ThatIf you deny them completely, they will often feel as if they are missing something big and may rebel strongly when faced with the pressures of friends, school, and media. Don't lecture them about eating correctly.
Remember they learn by example of what they see you do. Therefore, lead by example and let your actions speak for themselves. Encourage them to eat new and different things. Teach them how to deal with other outside influences through role play.

Excuse Busters for Not Exercising

Excuse 1: I don' have time. This is the excuse that is the most inexcusable and the one that makes me the most upset. Make exercise part of your routine. It’s that simple. Just like you get up to go to work at the same time, you can exercise at the same time. If you want to feel and see the results you will make time.

Excuse 2: I have children. This is easy. Exercise with your children. If you go to the gym most gyms have day-care that you can pay per visit or have added into your membership dues. Please see the section, CHILDREN AND EXERCISE

Excuse 3: I am too embarrassed to go to the gym. Trust me, no one is really paying that much attention to you! If you are at the gym, get some head phones with some music and WORK OUT. I write more about this in, THE THOUGHT OF GOING TO THE GYM SCARES ME

Excuse 4: I don't see any results, I guess I'm just meant to be fat. You can also read HELP IT'S NOT WORKING You didn't put your weight on overnight, so don't expect it to come off overnight. It is a process that takes time. You may never look like the models you see on television and print media. News flash! They don't either, it's called airbrushing and cropping. I write more about this in, THE TRUTH ABOUT LIES .

Excuse 5: I don't mind being overweight. You should mind! You are meant to be healthy which means getting some sort of cardiovascular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight. Don’t make your organs work harder than necessary. Read the Section BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) VS. WEIGHT .

Excuse 6: I can't afford to go to the gym. The gym is great, but who says that you have to go to the gym. Your family room or outdoors can be just fine and it is free. Read the Section I CAN"T DO THE GYM .

Excuse 7: I don't have any one to support me. Although the support of friends and family can be great it is not imperative. Exercise is something that no one can do for you. It is something that you have to do for yourself. Please read the sections HOW DO I GET STARTED and WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS AWARDED TO ME WHEN I BECOME A GOOD STEWARD OVER MY HEALTH?

Excuse 8: I don't know how to exercise. Exercise can be as simple as walking around the block. You can turn on the television and see a program of people exercising. Didn't you learn how to ride a bike when you were about 5 years old? It hasn't changed! If you have children, I don’t know one between 5 and 12 that doesn’t love a good game of tag. If you want to learn about exercising, you will. See the sections, WORK OUT RULES and “FORM RULES AND GYM ETIQUETE .” Excuse 9: I'm confused about what to do and what to believe. This is common sense. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Your body will guide you on what to do. This also has to do with the section, “THE TRUTH ABOUT LIES.” Listen to your body and what it tells you. Write down your 3 biggest excuses that you have for not exercising and then write down what you can do today to overcome them.