Kids: They’re Not Going To Outlive Their Parents
Posted by Alexander Gruezo on October 21, 2009 · Leave a Comment
After coming from a fitness conference in Orlando, Florida, I am now finally settled. What an exciting weekend it was! Yet, after all the workshops that I attended, something one of the presenters said really resonated in my head. I wondered if it was true because it gave me some really torn feelings. He said,
“Our current generation of kids may be the first to not outlive their parents.”
The reason I was torn with this statement was because on one hand, I thought, what a way to capitalize on new fitness programs for children. On the other hand though, I thought, has it really become so bad we now have to send them to professionals to make sure they are moving and eating right? I mean, growing up, kids were playing football, stick ball, jump rope, etc. on my block every day. You name it, it was being done. On many occasions my parents would be furious if I were to stay outside too long playing with my other friends. Yet everyday, it was what I was looking forward to do as soon as I got home from school and finished my homework. And then the summers were even better because we were out all day! As far as food was concerned, if I did eat fast food, it was only on the weekends. During the week I would eat whatever my mom prepared for breakfast and dinner and whatever school had for lunch. A lot of times I was eating as fast as possible so that I can meet friends, go to recess, or play outside.
So I did some further research into that statement and here is what I found:
31.9% of children and adolescents are overweight
16.3% of children and adolescents are obese
Type 2 Diabetes has increased 10 fold in the past twenty years
Over 8 million children have asthma, up 232% in the last forty years
Cancer kills more kids than any other disease
Researchers believe that poor eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle are responsible for many of these issues. After finding all this out I am even more driven to fight the effects of poor eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle, not just in adults but in children too!
