Friday, September 9, 2011

Three Essential Habits to Help the Overweight Child

NFL Sponsored Youth Football Camps are
a great place to have fun and burn calories

It's no fun to play if you struggle to move, breathe and keep up with other kids.  Quite often, this is due to a young person being overweight.  

We consider our youth football camps a great place to pass along life and fitness skills that combat childhood obesity.

Our youth football camp coaches teach three essential life habits that help kids manage and decrease excess body fat.  Apply these habits and help your child attain a better level of fitness.

 

1.  Simplify the Game:  It's "Calories In" vs. "Calories Burned."
Always look at food labels and recognize the total calories you consume each day.  Discuss good choices and bad choices made during the day.   Learn to distinguish high-calorie items from low calorie items.  At this stage, it's about creating awareness.   Without good information, how can your child distinguish a "good choice" from a "poor choice?"   Create awareness first, then you can make changes.

2.  Get Rid of the Soda: Choose Water First
This can be the easiest and most productive battle ground for you.  Water has zero calories and replenishes your body as required.  Consider the net calorie loss when you choose water and eliminate soda.  Certainly juices and milk are important, but make water the high priority.  Do you really need to have soda pop in the house?  Get rid of the soda and see an immediate change. 

3.  Play 60 minutes each day. 
It does not matter what activity you choose, as long as you get moving!  Make it fun.  If you can walk to school and back, that's at least 20 minutes of great exercise right off the top.  The goal is to do something physically active for 60 minutes every day.  Get your body moving and make it fun!

Speaking of fun, check out the NFL's Play 60 program for great ideas.

If your child follows this plan, you will get positive results with little drama.

For football skills, life skills and fun,

Tom Finks
Executive Director
Pro Sports Experience, LLC
Official Management Company for Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles Youth Football Camps.

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