BodiMojo Blog

The First Lady Weighs in on Childhood Obesity

July 21st, 2010 by Karen Feldscher

There’s nothing like some sound advice on how to stem the child obesity epidemic.

Even better when that advice comes from none other than the First Lady, as it did recently during a live video chat on the government web site for Let’s Move!—the new site devoted to Michelle Obama’s signature cause of helping kids eat healthier and keep fit.

Answering questions from people who’d e-mailed her, Mrs. Obama talked frankly and practically about how to get kids to eat sensibly and exercise when the world around them is filled with fast food, computer games, and the like.

What was so refreshing about Mrs. Obama’s chat was how down-to-earth it was. She told how, after her daughters’ pediatrician cautioned her to keep an eye on their weight, she figured it was time to make some changes. She’d been relying on foods like take-out pizza to get through busy weeknights, but she started to cut back. She tried to have more family dinners around the table. She served more water and less sugar-sweetened drinks. She and her husband also went through their cabinets to get rid of processed foods and sweets. Then, she said, “I tried to cook one good meal a week. Not every day, because it’s not realistic. I started there and built up.”

Small steps like these are key, said Mrs. Obama. Same with physical activity. The Obamas started to say “no” to TV during weeknights. “We did things like go outside, throw a ball, turn on the radio and do a little dancing,” she said, adding that it’s not necessary to join a gym or sign up for an expensive extracurricular activity to get your kids’ blood pumping. “Our kids can get the recommended 60 minutes of activity a day by running outside playing tag, by riding a bike, or by jumping rope. It could be a game of ‘Duck Duck Goose.’ It could be freeze tag.

“You can really make significant improvements with small changes,” she said. “I want people to think in those terms. Not wholesale changes that are going to turn people’s lives upside down, because then you can’t sustain it.”

The Obamas also try to model a healthy lifestyle for their kids. “They see us working out on a regular basis, they know that exercise is important, they know that my husband and I both have a sport that we love,” said Mrs. Obama. “We encourage our children to pick a sport and invest in it and learn how to work at something they’re not good at. So it’s all about achievement and accomplishment.

“Our kids watch everything we do,” she says. “How we move, how we talk, what we eat on our plates. If I’m telling my girls to finish their vegetables, you can guarantee that they’re looking over at my plate to see that I finished mine.”

She adds, “We try to talk little—or not at all—about actual weight.”

Mrs. Obama also highlighted some of the goals of the Let’s Move! campaign:

• Make food package nutrition information clearer and more prominent

• Get rid of “food deserts”—places where it’s tough to find fresh fruits and veggies—within seven years

• Improve school lunches within five years

• Get 50 percent of kids either to walk or bike to school

There’s a lot more. The Let’s Move! web site is full of helpful tips aimed at moving families, schools, and communities toward a healthier lifestyle. In fact, Let’s Move! has much in common with BodiMojo. We want the same thing, after all—happier, healthier kids.

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Putting the Lid on Summer Drinking

July 17th, 2010 by admin

By Samantha Burns

Summer’s almost halfway over. For teens getting ready for college, it’s a carefree time. Academic responsibilities are done with, for now. Teens want to celebrate their high school graduation and acceptance to college, and spend time with friends from whom they’ll soon separate.

They also might drink more.

So says University of Rhode Island psychology professor and alcohol researcher Mark Wood. But Wood also says that parents can play a big role in minimizing their teens’ drinking.

Woods says that parents can do two things:

• Monitor teens. Know where they are, who they’re with, and what they’re doing. Be emotionally supportive.

• Express clear disapproval about alcohol use—and institute fair consequences if teens break the rules.

“Research shows this combination of factors decreases alcohol use and problems through adolescence and into college,” says Wood. In a recent study, Wood found that teens who were given clear information about the consequences of alcohol use drank less than their peers.

When I was a teenager, my friends’ parents had varying opinions about their teens’ drinking. Some made it explicitly clear that underage drinking was unacceptable, and that their teens would be punished if caught. Others told their kids to call them if they needed a ride home, to prevent drunk driving. And a few allowed their teens to drink, with parental supervision.

I suppose there are pros and cons to each approach. But what seems most important to me is that there should be open communication about drinking between parents and children.

This past year, I worked as a counselor for college students who were caught drinking on their dry campus. Students sent to my office were required to take an assessment to determine if they were at risk for alcohol abuse. I can distinctly remember a handful of cases in which students were caught during their first time drinking, or the first time they drank more than they could handle. What stays with me about these cases is that many of the teens were upset with themselves for disappointing their parents. This confirmed for me that teens listen to, value, and care about what their parents have to say.

Sure, teens are likely to experiment with alcohol as they become more independent. But it doesn’t mean they will completely disregard their parents’ attitudes and expectations. What’s important is that they are indeed hearing important messages from their parents.

So open up those communication lines—it may be just the thing to keep kids from developing future alcohol problems.

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