Tag Archives: physical activity

Dad’s Parenting Affects Your Child’s Weight

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This is interesting. A friend of mine sent me an update in the mail over the weekend and it detailed a recent study that was to be presented to the Pediatric Academic Societies in Toronto. According to the study that included 5,000 children, in the 4 to 5 year old age range and their parents found that Dad’s parenting style presented a major influence on their children’s weight. The Daddy Game It seems that researchers discovered that permissive fathers (those who offered no limits to their children) or disengaged fathers who were not involved with their children were more likely … Continue reading →

The Long Route

I tell a joke whenever I introduce myself to a new class and identify myself as “Mrs. Long, not short, but long.” While this joke is very entertaining for the young, it’s also a good advice for those among us looking to find ways to add more physical activity without doing something as arduous as a workout. So here’s a little tip based on my joke. Take the Long Way Too often in this day and age we’re in a hurry to get where we are going. We’re looking to take the fast route. We want to get there as … Continue reading →

When Size Affects Income

Size discrimination affects skinny people as well as obese people. One does not have to be anorexic to have an ultra thin frame. One of my aunts is 5’8” tall and wears a size 6. She doesn’t like to talk about weight although she has never been larger. Occasionally, she hears negative comments about her size which makes her angry. These are rude, insensitive comments that she has heard for most of her life. Throughout her twenties and thirties, she was no larger than a size 4. In her adolescent years, she could wear a size zero. She has been … Continue reading →

Mom Retains Custody of Son Suffering from Obesity

Nicola McKeown, age 35, a resident of Wallsend, in northeastern England, was permitted to keep her son after a child protection meeting with officials of North Tyneside Council. As part of the agreement, McKeown had to agree to place her son on a stringent diet and exercise regime. How did it come to this? Under the Children Act, local law officials must investigate if there is reason to believe that a child in their jurisdiction is being harmed or suffering. Connor McCreaddie, age 8, would have been placed on a child protection register and taken from his family because he … Continue reading →

A Type II Diabetes Journey: The Chicken or the Egg?

My diabetic education specialist says that people don’t get diabetes because they’re fat; they get fat because they’re diabetic. This would be a lot easier to swallow if it wasn’t coming from someone who weighs 350 lbs. Is the diabetes due to the fat or is the fat due to the diabetes? Yes, to both questions. That may seem a contradiction, but the truth is that each contributes to the other. I’m fat because I’m diabetic, and I’m diabetic because I’m fat. Not all fat people will get diabetes. Genetics definitely plays a role. I’m going to go out on … Continue reading →

In the News: Bush Tells Parents to Get Their Kids Outside

Last week, President Bush warned that childhood obesity is a problem for both American families and for the country as a whole. The President was meeting with a group of business leaders in order to encourage the idea of advertising that would promote and encourage healthy food and exercise. “One way for this nation to cope with the issue of obesity is to get people outside – whether it be through sports or hiking or conservation.” President G.W. Bush The President’s also signed a proclamation declaring February as the American Heart Month. The First Lady offered her own thoughts on … Continue reading →

Lifestyle Change Opportunity in West Virginia

West Virginia is one of America’s most overweight states — it ranks third in obesity behind Mississippi and Tennessee. Now Medicaid is stepping in to help residents slim down. The medium-sized state with the huge weight problem faces more than one hundred million dollars in annual costs related to obesity. Medicaid and UniCare (the largest Medicaid provider in West Virginia) will be offering the Weight Watchers program to up to seventy-five thousand overweight West Virginians. This move will help reduce the risks of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and other obesity-related health issues AND help reduce annual healthcare costs. Medicaid programs … Continue reading →

Searching for the Real Me

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I don’t feel like an overweight woman most of the time. Yeah, my back hurts and I’m tired a lot, but heck, kids can do that to you right? What I don’t get is why couldn’t I have a problem different than obesity instead? Why couldn’t I be too pretty or too charming? For some reason it seems more acceptable for a person’s eating disorder to manifest in being thin than overweight. My problem is, when I look in the mirror I don’t see a fat lady. I know I’m not thin, but I have just grown to accept that … Continue reading →

Coming Out and Being Honest

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I’ve spent the last 15 years underestimating a problem I have. Rather than confronting it, I believed ignoring it as in issue would make it go way. I struggle with obesity; I have an eating disorder. Unlike many other issues people struggle with, mine stands out obvious to anyone who sees me. It’s not that I’ve denied being overweight, it’s that I refused to make it an issue or define who I am. Instead I’ve tried to overcompensate, hoping to shine what’s inside me, that it might radiate and people wouldn’t notice my weight. I fear I’ve reached a point … Continue reading →

Kid Fitness: The Burden of Being a Teenager

Being overweight can be hard on anyone, but it’s particularly hard on a teenager. Remember, teenagers are already under assault from a flood of hormones and social pressures. Too often, when you are different or less than pleasing as a teenager – other teenagers are far from kind about it. I remember once reading an article that detailed high school was a microcosm for the real world with every positive and negative experience heightened exponentially. I Was a Big Teenager I was not a petite teenager. I hit puberty before most of the others. I developed breasts and more. I … Continue reading →