Obesity in childhood. A public health epidemic!

Documented trends show an increasing prevalence of obesity and inactivity, meaning pediatricians must focus preventive efforts on childhood obesity with its associated co-morbid conditions in childhood and likelihood of persistence into adulthood.

BMI is widely used to define overweight and obesity after the age of 2 years. That said, clinical judgment should also be used in applying these criteria to a patient.

The prevalence has doubled in the last 20 years. Factors attributive to this are the emergence of video games that promote a sedentary life style and increase in availability of sugary snacks and drinks. 15.3% of 6-11 year olds and 15.5 of 12-19 year olds in the US are overweight or obese by BMI criteria. Obesity in childhood is linked to diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis and self esteem issues.

What a parent can do.
*Schedule your child for a yearly physical with your pediatrician.
*Involve your child in extracurricular activities and sports at a young age.
*Limit time spent on video games and watching TV to no more than 30 minutes a day during the week and no *more than 1 hour on weekend days.
*Provide your child with a wide variety of nutritious foods; include dairy, grain, protein, fruits and vegetables.
*Monitor portion sizes.
*Limit the intake of snacks and sugary fluids.
*Give your child 3 servings of low fat dairy per day.

More information for parents can be viewed on www.cdc.gov/obesity

Omolara Dairo M.D.
River’s Edge Pediatrics
100 N High Street,
Dublin, OH 43017
614 889-7772

Yoga For Kids!!!!

Is your child ever frustrated, rushed, angry or anxious? Does he or she ever feel stressed or hyperactive? Does your child have problems with sleeping?

Some recent studies show that if you often do yoga exercises (breathing, different poses and relaxation), it increases balance, develops a strong and flexible body and improves attention and emotional control. It also calms the mind and releases stress and tension and it develops discipline and self control. So yoga promotes an overall sense of well being for your child.

If you would like to try a yoga class with your child, I invite you to try a free trial class on Tuesday from 2:00 till 2:45 at Om2ohm Yoga Studio (next door to Locker Soccer) in Powell. This class is for 2-6 year olds (a class for 6-12 year olds will begin in November). Some materials that you can access, if you would like to start practicing at home are: Yoga Kids, Yoga Calm & Namaste Kids. They all have great DVD’s, CD’s and books about Yoga For Kids!

I wish you all a happy, healthy, and suffering-free soccer season!

Peace & Joy,
Danielle van Kalmthout

A note from Coach Steve: Danielle is a mom of one of our young LS Elite boys. She comes from Netherlands and has attended several really cool certification programs for kids & yoga in Dover, Massachusetts. For more information, please feel free to contact Danielle directly at info@nhimpact.com

“Let them make mistakes and play free”

In a recent SI article, US Women’s National Team star Megan Rapinoe credited her U13 coach for her development as a creative star on the US team. Rapinoe is described as probably the least “American-like” in her style of play, often characterized as “a little bit of Barcelona in red, white and blue.”

“I don’t think he ever really told us how to play,” says Rapinoe. “He was really good about letting us make mistakes and play free. That was cool. There are a lot of really bad coaches in the U.S. who maybe don’t focus on the right things. Sometimes creativity is stamped out at a young age.”

It is truly refreshing when creative stars like Rapinoe reinforce the notion that we need to let kids play and have fun, giving them their best chance to become special players. By not concentrating solely on tactics and wins, great soccer players can be developed. Soccer has always been a wonderful form of entertainment for me, and to have young players who can entertain….that’s priceless!