As parents we are constantly trying to find ways to keep or get our families healthy.  It can feel like a never ending battle filled with confusion, frustration, overload of information and defeat.  Ah…but let’s not forget success is possible, it really is.

In the past 18months I’ve been trying to lose weight, get fit and overall lead a healthy active and most importantly happy life.  I’ve been on the diet roller coaster for 30 years now (I’m 38), so I feel I have every right to analyze and try to grasp how I got 100lbs over weight and how I’ve stayed this way.  My personal thoughts on what I like to call my fat journey is for another post.

It did raise certain other questions about childhood obesity and how as parents we’re struggling and scared that we’re not going to be able to keep our kids mentally and physically fit and healthy, and not obsessed with food and exercise.  To just have an ease and comfort with their bodies, while making good choices.  Things that have been at the forefront of my  thoughts since I was pregnant for the first time.

I rarely brag about my accomplishments as a mom, but I think it’s time I do.  I think it’s time we all give ourselves a pat on the back for something we’ve done.  As women and moms we rarely do this(sorry guys I know this happens to you too, but I write from a chicks perspective:-) As little girls we’re sometimes taught it’s not polite to brag(true or not?).  So here I go!

I have two amazing little kids(barely away from toddler years) that (believe it or not) love broccoli, green beans, cumbers, raw carrots and peppers and many other colourful items taken from nature.  They eat whole wheat bread and pasta without complaint and give my husband a hard time for drinking diet soda.  They love being active and are of healthy weight and stature.  They love to smile:-)

So now, before you roll your eyes and think I’m raising little perfect health robots(or that I’m lying) please understand they do have cookies, prepackaged mac and cheese, they enjoy playing their wii game and watching cartoons, but not exclusively.  They are happy growing little people that enjoy life, but I do want them to understand what food and activity is all about.

I do not force lecture, but since they were babies the majority of meals have contained many colors, and we talk about vitamins, protein , energy and extra food.  Yes, I said as babies, as crazy as that sounds! “Here comes the vitamin train” a.k.a. spoonful of peas!

We have a “no need to clean your plate” policy at our house but you certainly don’t get any of the extra foods in place of what’s on the plate.  We encourage trying new veggies and fruit over and over with subtlety. We talk about what it means to have a full tummy and what water does for our bodies.  we’ve even chatted about why we eat-fuel, strength etc and not because we’re bored or sad. As adults we are trying to follow these ideas and trying to break old habits! After all we know the validity of the saying of practice what you preach!

All of that being said I’m still a normal parent so…….what do I do about all of the outside influences?  TV, radio, internet and visual adverts and commercials.  All that information that bombards our kids(and us) everyday?  We would need to live in a cave not to be exposed to that stuff, let alone young impressible developing minds.

I get infuriated when companies(a.k.a. fast foods, sugary cereals, restaurants, prepackaged foods,even schools take the easier cheaper way out) and say it’s not their fault that the world is getting fat-it’s our choice after all, right?  I happen to think they’re full of shit and they understand fully the working of human psychology and what affects peoples palate and desire/reasons to eat certain foods.  They certainly understand marketing!

You ever see a macdonald’s commercial with all/any fat people?

Just the shear volume of these foods, has made our choice of unhealthy food so easy, and lets face it since the beginning of time we’ve liked the easy access of food.  Do you think the caveman would walk an extra mile for the next meal to kill if he didn’t need to?;-) I don’t think so!  It would take a month to find out the truth behind the variety of pastas alone!

So with all of the things that influence our kids how do I keep my kids healthy, never becoming obsessed with food and dieting and still saying YEAH to broccoli when they’re 15?  We know has long has the companies that produce our foods, take the easy out and produce so much junk that part will not change, So WE have to start making the next generation food and fitness smart-body smart.

I talk about crossing the street safely and physical safety with my kids, so now I guess I need to continue with our health safety chats, but we gotta keep the fun as well

What are you doing about those brussel spouts and that bike ride?

Does this video make you smile? http://www.youtube.com/user/TheRealLittleDebbie

It makes me angry-I searched this video thinking I was missing something, they surely couldn’t mean that they wanted more people to eat this stuff so more people would smile!!!!!