So why don’t we eliminate the junk food machines from schools and add in a simple 30-minute break for fitness during the school day. Even if it meant extending the school day for 30-minutes, most evidence has shown that allowing kids a break during the school day to burn off stress and energy would result in overall better test scores, and improved academic performance.
I also read this post above and it ties in well with what we are teaching our kids. Eliminate junk food from the schools & add more PE in — I bet we will find happier, healthier, smarter kids. Why is this so hard?
I struggle with finding a balance with my own family’s eating habits. Growing up, I did not have free access to treats and soda and although I can’t prove it, I do believe it is one of the reasons I became somewhat obsessed with it in my tween/teen years. I was a Diet Coke addict and any allowance I got – it went right to the local candy store for whatever treat I had a hankering for –although I remember loving Swedish Fish more than anything! I don’t want my kids growing up thinking any sort of food is forbidden, and eating sensibly does not mean you can’t treat yourself. Moderation and being active are the keys to living a healthy life. I am in no way blaming my parents – it was a different time and they were in very different circumstances. Hannah has a serious sweet tooth so I am always reminding her to eat healthy but where do I draw the line between educating her on making better choices or causing her serious anxiety about eating…This parenting stuff is hard. Maybe I should ask my psychologist friend, Stac! what she thinks about educating kids about making healthier choices.
I have also renewed my commitment to spend more time outdoors as a family, so being active doesn’t feel like a chore. We headed to Harper’s Ferry National Park yesterday to get out in the fresh air, run around and spend some quality time together. Did you know that the National Park service ((http://www.nps.gov/findapark/index.htm) has a great feature on their website where you can search for a park by the type of activity you are looking to do? Just heading out to one of the local parks with a football or glove and ball – is worth its weight in gold in my book.
