2Inspire Health & Fitness Magazine #20 - May 2021

Why is Childhood Obesity on the Rise?

5 Tips to Motivate Children to Be Active Educate and Empower Yourself, the Parent

Does Obesity Run in Families?

3 Ways Childhood Obesity Can Affect Learning

4 Ways to Ensure Your Kids Get Enough Physical Activity

What to Do If Your Child Criticizes Their Own Body

How to Motivate Children to Make Healthy Eating Choices/Habits

2Inspirenutrition.com May 2021 FREE

INSIDE THIS MONTH’S ISSUE

Why is Childhood Obesity on the Rise?

- pg. 3 How to Motivate Children to Make Healthy Eating Choices/Habits - pg. 5 5 Tips to Motivate Children to Be Active - pg. 8 Educate and Empower Yourself, the Parent - pg.12 3 Ways Childhood Obesity Can Affect Learning - pg. 16 What to Do If Your Child Criticizes Their Own Body - pg. 18 4 Ways to Ensure Your Kids Get Enough Physical Activity - pg. 20 Does Obesity Run in Families? - pg. 22

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Why is Childhood Obesity on the Rise?

The numbers are shocking. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years. Today, more than one-third of children and adolescents are overweight or obese.

Why?

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What’s going on in the lives of children that’s causing such a tremendous increase in

obesity, and what can we calories than a growing child needs. do about it?

The truth is that there are We Live Sedentary likely many reasons why Lifestyles obesity is on the rise.

The American public spends an average of 34 We know: hours a week in front of the television, according More people are eating to Nielsen. That time processed food. We’re doesn’t include recorded talking about fast and programs, nor does it easy meals like takeout meals, frozen meals, include computer and gaming screen time. and meals that largely If a child isn’t sitting at come from bags and school, they’re sitting boxes. They’re packed in the car or sitting at with sugar, saturated and trans fats, and more home. A sedentary

lifestyle slows your metabolism down.

Children burn fewer calories.

We’re Eating More Sugar The average teenager consumes 34 teaspoons of sugar each day. That’s 544 calories from sugar in a single day. Multiply that times 7 days in a week and that’s an entire pound of body weight – just from sugar.

If your child gains a pound a week, that’s 52 pounds a year. Sugary sodas and coffee drinks are part of the problem.

Even sports drinks are packed with sugar.

The FDA recommends consuming no more than 10 teaspoons of sugar a day.There’s almost 8 teaspoons in a 12 ounce can of cola.

It’s Easy for a Child to Quickly Put on Weight

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Between eating the wrong foods and not moving their young bodies, they’re consuming more than they’re burning on a daily basis. It’s leading to tremendous physical, emotional, and mental

challenges – challenges no child should really have to face.

The Impacts of Obesity on Children and Teenagers • Obese children more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

• Obese children and teenagers are more likely to have prediabetes.

• They’re at a greater risk for bone and joint pain and sleep problems.

• It’s difficult to be overweight in a culture that idealizes often unrealistic body shapes.

Children who are obese often teased and struggle with poor selfesteem and behavioral issues.

• Overweight children are at risk for many types of cancer, including breast cancer, colon cancer, cancer of the kidney, pancreas, thyroid, ovary, cervix, and prostate, as well as other cancers like Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

• Obese children rate

their quality of life as quite low. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2003, researchers asked 106 children between ages 5 to 18 to rate their quality of life. They were to base their answer on things like their ability to get along with others, play sports, and keep up in school. Obese children rated their quality of life as low – as low as the scores of cancer patients on chemotherapy.

We understand the risks of childhood obesity and the causes are fairly clear.

However, preventing hildhood obesity can be a bit challenging.

There are essentially two major components of preventing, and reversing, childhood obesity. They include improving eating habits and becoming more active.

How to Motivate Children to Make Healthy Eating Choices/Habits

beliefs, thoughts, and ideas about food. When you make healthy choices and talk about healthy choices with your child, they hear you.

However, you can’t just talk big, you have to follow through. If you tell your Children also receive messages about food from child that they can’t have a soda because it’s too their peers. They trade at sugary and then you grab lunch, and the kid with a soda for yourself the the coolest lunch is the next day, your child will coolest kid. Kids used notice. To help you kids to beg for Lunchables develop good habits and because they were “cool” 1. Be a Consistent Role to prevent obesity, it’s your to eat.

Model responsibility to be a good role model.

Most importantly, Children are inundated with messages about food. however, children get 2. Have a Positive messages from their They see commercials Attitude parents. You have the most on television. Those influence on your child’s commercials make It’s important to have The first component to preventing obesity or turning it around is to pay attention to intake. What a child eats can’t always be monitored. However, you can teach your children to make healthy eating choices. You can help them create good habits.

Let’s take a look at 10 tips, strategies, and ideas to help you motivate your children to make good choices.

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McDonald’s seem like the happiest place on earth, second only to a Disney theme park. They make Coca-Cola look like the key to joy, and Skittles make rainbows appear in the coolest places!

Making meals at home isn’t complicated. You just have to get a little organized and create a plan. You might even make your meals ahead of time, on the weekends, and freeze them. Then making dinner is as easy as reheating. Homemade So instead of buying For example, instead of meals with whole foods cookies, chips, and soda, asking them to eat their are much healthier fill your cupboards with broccoli, if they’re old options. They also show other snacking options. enough you can get them Stock your pantry with your children that it’s involved in some decision nuts, whole grain crackers, important to care about making. You might ask mealtime and to pay and fruit. If your children them if they want broccoli, are hungry, they will eat an attention to what you put green beans, or carrots for apple – especially if it’s the into your body. dinner. Often, when a only choice. child has some control 5. Teach Children To over what they eat, they’ll 4. Make Meals Cook make better choices.

Speaking of making meals Studies have shown that Of course, it’s also when families sit down to yourself, instead of buying important that you eat them from restaurants or dinner together, the your veggies too, without eat in boxes, get your children children grow up to be complaining. Here’s the involved in mealtime. more self-assured and other component to That’s half the Teach them to cook. When having a positive attitude, connected. you get your children battle; the other half is to don’t shame yourself or make mealtime something involved in the meal your child for unhealthy healthy. That means planning and preparation, food choices. Shaming can that’s they’ll be invested in the whole foods, not turn into food hiding and eating food. processed ones. low self-esteem.

There’s an involvement And while there’s a general believe that quick level for any age. For example, preschoolers and easy meals must be takeout or come in a box, can help decide the vegetable or side when making your food from given a few options. They scratch is actually pretty can wash, stir, and dump darn quick and easy too. ingredients into bowls or For example, steaks take pans. Older children can about 10 minutes to follow simple recipes and and broccoli can 3. Have Healthy Options cook, help with meal planning. be steamed while they’re In The Home cooking. And there is a ton Teenage children can take that you can do in a Crock- responsibility for making One of the surest ways one meal each week.

Pot. to support your child to a good attitude about healthy food. Many children seem to have a natural dislike for vegetables. Try to support your child’s food preferences while also encouraging them to make good food choices.

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develop healthy eating habits is to eliminate the unhealthy ones. Sure, when they’re away from home they can make different choices. However, the foundation you set at home is an important one.

6. Snack Time Snack time is often the most difficult time for both children and adults.

We want something that feeds cravings, and is also quick and easy. There is a two-pronged approach to snack time.

The first is to make sure that meals are balanced enough that your child isn’t hungry two hours later. This means making sure there are enough complex carbohydrates and protein to keep blood sugar levels balanced.

The second component of a healthy snack time approach is to provide healthy and tasty snacks.

Nut butters and fruit or whole grain crackers are an option. Smoothies, snack mixes and bars are also healthy options. There are snack bars that you can make at home which are super healthy and delicious.

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your word for it for a while, until they start wondering why they can’t have cookies and ice cream for dinner. Explain how nutrients help give them energy and provide their body with specific benefits.

of every meal. Dessert, like any sweet, should be something that happens occasionally. It’s important to teach children about moderation. They’ll develop a healthy attitude about foods and their choices.

For example, calcium in milk and dark leafy greens make their bones strong. Protein makes their muscles strong and good fats help their brain.

While it’s okay to have a treat occasionally, too many treats can harm their health. Teach moderation.

8. Serve Reasonable Portions Portion sizes have grown and become distorted.

Adults have a difficult time eating smaller, and more appropriate, portions.

Children have different portion requirements, which makes it even more challenging for adults to give them appropriate portions.

10. Don’t Reward With Sweets

Because children love sweets and because they often misbehave, it’s tempting to bribe them with treats. For example, “if you’re well behaved at the grocery store, you can choose a candy item in the For example, a serving size checkout.” of meat for a 6 year old is 1 ounce. For an adult it’s 4 This teaches children that ounces. A serving of fruit is food is a reward and that’s half of a small apple. Pasta a habit they’ll take with or cereal is limited to half a them into adulthood. cup.

Food is fuel and it’s a lovely part of life. It’s part of our 9.

Dessert Is Not culture and it should be 7. Teach Them About The Mandatory enjoyable. It shouldn’t be a Role Of Food In Health reward.

Don’t make dessert part Children will only take

5 Tips to Motivate Children to Be Active

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Children are born to move. We’re all born to move, actually. When your body is active and moving, it releases hormones that keep your systems regulated. When you’re sedentary, these systems slow down.

Metabolism slows down and instead of burning fat, you’re storing it.

children have ample opportunity to stay in front of a screen almost all day long. And many do. If they’re not in school, they’re looking at a screen. This means, in most cases, that they’re sedentary.

Limit screen time. Get your child off of the couch, out of their chairs and moving. Yes, Sedentary lifestyles have it’s no fun to confiscate become so common devices. However, your and so deadly that child will thank you for there’s now a name it in the long run. You for it. It’s called “Sitting can implement parental Disease” and it leads to controls on televisions, cardiovascular problems, put computers in Type 2 Diabetes, obesity, the family area, and cancer and death confiscate your child’s It’s a big deal and it’s smartphone and other avoidable. The following devices. There are six tips will help you monitoring tools you can get your children off use, and rules you can the couch and active – easily enforce. moving their bodies like So what’s a good rule of they were born to do. thumb? According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, total screen time should be limited to two hours a day for children ages 3-18.

And, for 2-year-olds and younger, there should be none at all.

1. Limit Screen Time

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2. Get Active Together Between television, computers, smartphones, One excellent way to and gaming systems,

motivate children to move more is to move with them. Create family activities that get you moving. Go on a bike ride together. Go roller skating, swimming at the rec center, or walk to the park. There are dozens of activities that you can do together right now. Make being active part of your family routine.

3. Help Them Find Activities They Love Sometimes children just need a little nudge. They need to be encouraged to try things.

Yoga, dance, karate, soccer, and fencing are just a few opportunities for children to move their body and get active.

Little ones can take tumbling classes and ride a bike. Older children can take gymnastics, softball or baseball or even start running. Once they’re in school, sport them to join groups, teams, and clubs.

4. Be Positive and Supportive Children need structure and guidance. They also

need parents to be their support system. It’s important that you’re positive about these lifestyle changes and new habits. If you’re enthusiastic and optimistic, then they’re more likely to be as well.

It can be a difficult line to walk. The difference between nagging and encouraging is sometimes blurry. And you may not be around all the time to make sure they’re not sitting on the couch. Remember, children should only have two hours of screen 5. Be A Good Role time each day. Work with Model them to support a more active lifestyle.

In addition to motivating your child to be active and to get off the couch, you have to also model the behavior. You have to live the lifestyle that you want your children to live. Get active. Limit your own screen time to two hours a day and add active hobbies to your life.

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Watch your children when they’re moving their bodies and when they’re sitting. You’ll see their faces light up when they’re active. They smile

more. They are happier and their eyes are brighter.

Even when they complain about “another hike” or tell you that they don’t want to ride their bike anymore, you know that the movement and exercise is good for them. You’re helping them create a foundation for an active and healthy future. You’re preventing obesity and instilling good habits.

The bottom line is that you are the key to helping your child prevent obesity.

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Educate and Empower Yourself, the Parent We’ve already talked about how important it is for you to be a good role model. Put yourself in your child’s shoes for a minute. If you’re sitting on the couch munching on chips and watching your favorite reality show, you can’t expect your child to grab an apple and go play outside.

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Children pay very close

attention to their parent’s actions. If you want your child to adopt healthy eating habits and an active lifestyle, you’re going to have to walk the talk.

The truth is that parents often don’t know what a child’s nutrition and exercise requirements actually are. They don’t know how to walk the

talk, and it’s pretty difficult to teach your child about health and fitness when you may not know what the experts know. So let’s take a look at the fundamental questions that parents have about how to teach their child good habits, starting with normal weight ranges for children and where their calories should come from.

Question #1 How Many Calories Should My Child Consume?

a day. It’s important to keep in mind that active children need more calories than non-active Normal weight for a child ones, and the more varies depending on body muscle a child has, the more calories they’ll need. composition, age, bone But back to where those mass, height and calories should come many other factors. from…

Generally speaking, your pediatrician will give There is a recommended you a percent based on charts that compare your daily allowance for child’s height and weight protein, whole grains, to others. You can access fruits and vegetables, and fats. The RDA depends these same charts at on the child’s age. For the Centers for Disease example, The RDA of Control (http://www. protein, measured in cdc.gov/growthcharts/ grams, is: clinical_charts.htm).

• Children ages 1 – 3: 13 It’s important to grams remember that most children will get the • Children ages 4 – 8: 19 calories they need, so it’s grams more important to pay • Children ages 9 – 13: 34 attention to what they grams eat. The calories from a cookie are different than • Girls ages 14 – 18: 46 the calories from an apple. grams And the truth is that • Boys ages 14 – 18: 52 children burn calories at grams different rates. A teenage boy, for example, may need 1,000 more calories Children should consume every day than a teenage 14 grams of dietary fiber per 1,000 calories they girl. consume. Fiber comes from whole grains, fruits, The general and vegetables. Each child recommended range for should have at least most school-age kids: one serving of fruits 1,600 to 2,200 calories 13

or vegetables at every snack or meal. Every day a young child should consume about 2 cups of vegetables and 1.5 cups of fruit a day. As the child grows older, the amount of fruits and vegetables should increase.

Question #2 How Do I Teach Moderation When I Can’t Achieve It Myself?

If you’re struggling with moderation in your own life there are a few different ways you can approach it. First, when you make a mistake or mess up, forgive yourself.

For example, if you sit down to have a piece of cake and end up eating half the cake, that’s not moderation.

Forgive yourself and learn from the mistake. As you learn about moderation for yourself, you can also teach your child what you’ve learned.

Consider creating “rules” for treats. For example, you might make Friday the night you have dessert after dinner. You might buy one bag of chips for the house each week and when the chips

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appreciate your body? are gone, they’re gone until you buy another bag • Go to the doctor. When next week. you go to the doctor for Another example of a self- checkups and for any imposed guideline or rule concerns or illnesses is to eat healthy six days a that you have, it shows your children that your week and allow yourself health and wellbeing are to eat anything one day a priority. a week. Moderation is going to be a bit different • Don’t criticize your for everyone. Find what body, or anyone else’s, works for you and help in front of your children. your child understand that Even if you don’t feel food is fuel. It can be fun great about your body, and delicious, however, criticizing it teaches your most of the time it should child to be critical of also provide nutrition. themselves. If you want them to love themselves, Question #3 How Can I imperfections and all, Teach My Child to Love then you have to show and Care for Their Body them what that looks like.

When I Don’t Love and Care for My Own? • Take care of your body.

Exercise, eat well, and Your child undoubtedly practice good hygiene. picks up your beliefs about your own body and Show your child what it looks like to love yourself appearance. When you and your body. don’t care for yourself, it sends them mixed signals. • Don’t “diet.” Dieting You may have issues sends the wrong with your own body and message. It’s much your weight. However, different than the it’s critically important concept of adopting a that you send a positive healthier lifestyle. Making message to your child. healthy food choices is And as you’re sending this different than calorie message, you may learn to restriction or deprivation. love your own body more. And children with parents that diet end So how do you demonstrate to your child up becoming dieters themselves. that you do care for and

The Boston Medical Center reports that approximately 45 million Americans diet each year and spend $33 billion on weight-loss products in their pursuit of a trimmer, fitter body. And most 10-year-olds have been on a diet. According to studies, more than half of 13-year-old girls have issues with how their bodies look.

Dieting and the dieting culture teach children poor body image and bad nutrition and self-care habits. Dieting at an early age also leads to eating disorders in both girls and boys. It’s much more productive and healthier in the long run to teach your child to develop healthy eating habits and to avoid dieting.

Question #4 What Other Habits Support Healthy Weight in Children and Prevent Obesity?

There are actually a

number of habits for both children and adults that can help maintain a healthy weight. The first is probably the most important for any child and that is sleep. Sleep is the time when the body’s tissues are restored, hormone levels are balanced and systems get a chance to regulate and rest. Studies have shown that people who don’t get enough sleep tend to be overweight, more so than those who do get enough sleep. Children are still growing and they have special sleep needs.

• 1-3 Years Old: 14 hours of sleep per day • 3-6 Years Old: 10-12 hours per day • 7-12 Years Old: 10-11 hours per day

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is under stress their body releases cortisol, which is a hormone. If this hormone is constantly in the system it impacts blood sugar levels and causes the body to store fat. Some stress is a part of life.

However, if your child appears to be chronically stressed, you may want to get outside help to teach them coping mechanisms.

A consistent schedule is also a good way to help manage a healthy body weight. Meals, snacks, sleep and even physical activity can become part of your child’s routine.

It helps them, and their body, know what to expect.

Question #5 How Do I Get My Child Involved In Meal Planning And Preparation?

from a list of possible meals to make with you.

They can also help you with the shopping. When children are actively engaged in mealtime preparation and planning, they begin to think differently about the food they eat.

Small Changes Lead To Big Results and a Lifetime of Good Health It’s tempting to overhaul the way your family lives – to eradicate all of the bad habits at once and to replace them with healthier habits.

However, this type of extreme approach can cause a backlash. Children may be completely uncooperative.

If you instead make small changes to your family’s • 12-18 Years Old: 8-9 lifestyle, your child may hours per day not even notice. Make a The answer to this In small children the sleep question depends on the list of the habits you want to embrace and one by can be divided between age of your child. If you one, begin integrating nighttime and naps. have older children, you them into your life.

Older children need to can simply make them Not only will your child get consecutive hours of responsible for a meal sleep because they rarely each week. They choose a grow up to be a healthy have time for a nap. recipe, with your approval weight, they’ll have a solid foundation to make good of course, and make the decisions as adults.

Another component that meal. Younger children contributes to weight gain can take different active roles. They can choose is stress. When a person

3 Ways Childhood Obesity Can Affect Learning

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A study out of the Medical University of South Carolina found a link between adolescent obesity and decreased learning. And because adolescents are still in the developing stage, losing weight may be able to at least stop the trend and even possibly reverse it to some extent.

One decrease in learning, as evidenced

by IQ test scores, is due to a condition known as adolescent sleep apnea. Just like in adults, obese children with this condition actually stop breathing while sleeping. While each episode may only last up to 10 seconds, it can occur hundreds of times each night in a child with this condition.

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Studies have found the decrease in learning is due to two results from breathing cessation: lack of oxygen to the brain and lack of quality sleep. When the

child is not breathing, oxygen is not getting in the lungs, entering the blood stream and being distributed to the brain. With a lack of oxygen over time, injury to existing brain tissue can occur along with affecting further development of the brain. The cause of sleep apnea may be from excess fat in the throat or enlarged tonsils that cuts off the airway.

With a child waking up hundreds of times each night, they are not getting quality sleep even though they may be getting the correct number of hours of sleep. This further effects their learning performance because they go to school tired the next day and can’t focus on learning.

And then there is the emotional side of learning. Social distress also affects learning in obese adolescents.

Because obese children “don’t fit in”, normal weight children tend to tease, make fun of or even bully them. This constant taunting causes immeasurable emotional issues of which decreased learning is just one. With low selfesteem and self-worth constantly haunting them, concentrating on learning in school is the farthest thing on their mind. Many can’t take the peer ostracizing anymore and end up taking their own life.

Researchers found the decrease in learning can start as early as kindergarten and seems to be more prevalent in girls than boys. They also found that obese adolescents are less likely to attend any type of post-secondary education. And it all starts with being an obese child.

What to Do If Your Child Criticizes Their Own Body

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As your child approaches their teen years, their whole self-image will start to change. All of a sudden they spend more time in front of a mirror trying to get the “right” look. Clothes now matter as they experiment with new styles and combinations. They are trying to find their identity – something that will say to other people who they are.

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While something may seem inconsequential to you, it can be of terrible importance to your child, such as the shape of their nose. Be supportive but yet point out how that that is not bad and it makes them who they are.

Compliment them on their other physical attributes. Maybe they don’t like one particular feature of their body.

Unfortunately in the Negate that pessimistic process sometimes things view by pointing out go awry and they can all other positive features of a sudden start to not and physical attributes like themselves. Whether like speed, balance and fueled by ads on T.V. grace. This is especially featuring models that are easy to do if they are too thin, peer pressure involved in sports or or just self-criticism, they dance. can develop a negative image of their body as While s/he may not it goes through puberty think they look good and changes dramatically. on the outside, point out how “beautiful” Many times body and they are on the inside. self-image negativity is Maybe they volunteer short-lived and passes time at a nursing home with time, but it can in or readily share with a certain people develop sister or brother, etc. into an unhealthy and Complimenting on these unrealistic view of inner attributes helps themselves. As parents, negate negative feeling what can you do? about the outside of their First, have patience. body.

While it may be important to your child to spend an hour in the bathroom getting ready, it can be an inconvenience to the rest of the family if you only have one bathroom. Emphasize the importance of managing time, sharing limited resources and how taking unusually amounts of time inconveniences others.

What you do and say has a powerful impact on your child (even if you don’t think it does). If you have a negative selfimage of yourself, how can you expect your child to have a positive one?

Be a good role model by being happy with yourself and your self-image.

Once your child is at school or away from your house, there isn’t much you can do to control what is said or done.

However, when they are home, all of the above things can go a long way to improving how your child views themselves.

4 Ways to Ensure Your Kids Get Enough Physical Activity

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Most children do not get enough physical activity these days. With schools eliminating their physical education programs and kids spending more time watching TV and playing video games, it is no wonder childhood obesity at an all-time high (and still climbing).

In the last 30 years, it has doubled and as of 2012, 18% of children under the age of 12 were obese.

During the six hours per day on average that kids spend watching TV and on their computers, they are not burning as many calories as they are taking in. As a matter-offact, they are most likely also eating unhealthy food while watching TV so not only are they not burning calories, they are consuming more.

So how do you ensure your kid is getting enough physical activity?

Here are 4 ways that will get your child moving:

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walk each night after dinner. On the weekends, do a physical activity that takes more time, like a bike ride or hike.

If you are in an area with inclement weather part of a year, opt for a family membership at a gym or YMCA. Many facilities have an indoor swimming pool and jogging track in addition to various exercise machines and free weights. Ask whether your gym offers exercise classes or not, such a Pilates, Yoga, Zumba, etc. Many places include them free of charge in your membership or charge a nominal fee to participate.

Not only will you show your kid how important (and fun) exercise can be, but you will be getting the physical activity you need as well.

physical activity. Ensure your kid there will still be time for their favorite non-physical activity.

3) Schedule physical activity As the old saying goes, “What gets scheduled, gets done”. Without scheduling a block of time each day on the calendar, it is easy for that time to get overridden by something else, or forget to exercise, or just decide not to do it. However when it is written there in plain sight, it is harder to overlook.

4) Encourage sport participation

Participating in team sports does more for your child than provide a means of exercising. They also learn cooperation and leadership. However, team sports are not for 2) Limit time in front of everyone and when that the TV and computer is the case, encourage your child to participate 1) Set the example As said before, time spent in non-team sports, such watching TV and playing as swimming, jogging, If you are not regularly video games is time walking, rock climbing or exercising, how can you not spent in a physical tennis. expect your kids to do the activity. Each kid should same? You can start small get at least 60 minutes by organizing a family a day of some type of

Does Obesity Run in Families?

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Is obesity hereditary? Are you going to be large, overweight and suffer the afflictions and diseases associated with being obese if your parents or grandparents were?

Unfortunately, in many cases obesity is a family affair. Incredibly, obesity is common in friendships and other close personal relationships as well. Let’s take a closer look at just how your ancestry affects your body weight and see if there is anything you can do about it.

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little to no role in deciding your body weight, your family’s lifestyle certainly does. If your parents lead a sedentary life, suffer from poor nutrition and do not put a big priority on exercise, you will grow up in inherently learning those lessons. The simple fact is that families tend to enjoy similar lifestyle habits, including exercise and nutrition.

environmental and personal factors are responsible for you being obese, overweight or at a healthy body weight.

Their research shows that even with a “genetic predisposition” towards obesity, your lifestyle will eventually be the determining factor in whether or not you are healthy and fit.

This is because, for most people, nutrition determines from 50% to 60% of their level of physical fitness and health.

DNA and Chocolate Cake Aside from an increased That is how incredibly risk of obesity through – Understanding the important eating right family relationships, your Obesity/Genetic Link is, especially if you are sedentary friends can have battling a hereditary Countless studies have a negative impact on your obesity history. Drink lots shown that there is a health as well. Studies of water, and exercise definite link between your have shown that people 2.5 hours each week. risk of becoming obese with a few obese friends Walk instead of sitting and having overweight are much more likely to whenever you have the or obese parents. The be obese themselves. This opportunity. Choose way your body stores fat could be because obese fresh fruits, vegetables, and burns calories when friends were each raised whole grains, fish and you eat chocolate cake or by overweight parents, non-processed foods any other food is closely and naturally tended to over sugar-filled, salty, related to your genetic bond because of similar processed fast foods, ancestry. How your body interests and social factors drinks and sweets. Proper converts food into energy as they were growing up. diet and exercise can is also a process which can keep you slim and trim, be a result of your DNA. Can The Genetic/ fit and healthy, even if Obesity Relationship Be everyone in your family is The Family Lifestyle Defeated? overweight or obese.

Impact The Mayo Clinic Even if genetics played reports that, ultimately, Can Your Fat Friends Make You Obese As Well?