Did you know that approximately 26% of Canadian
children between the ages of 2-17 years old, are currently overweight or obese- Childhood Obesity Foundation This number has tripled
in the last 25 years. As a mother, I was
shocked by this statistic.
And the sad thing is we all know why this
is happening. It’s a simple equation: weight gain happens when we intake more
calories than we burn.
Everywhere I turn, I hear that children today
do not get the enough physical activity. Let’s think about all the electronic gadgets
and toys that children have access to these days – televisions, computers, IPADs,
Nintendo DS, Playstations…...and the list just goes on and on.
As a parent of two children, I constantly
struggle with them on the subject of physical activity. With a demanding job, being in the process of starting
my own business and keeping up with social commitments, how can I find the time
for physical activity. One thing that
I’ve tried and that works for me is to figure out a way to align your child’s
physical activity needs with your own lifestyle priorities.
For example, do you wake up early on the
weekends after a long week, or do you want to at least get a couple of hours of
lazing around over the weekends? Do you
pick your kids up from school and go straight home or would you rather do their
activities during the week? I realized
that I want to go straight home after school, so that I get a few hours with
them before they go to bed. Between
dinner, bath and homework, if we have time we go to the park or biking in the
evening. I then registered them for
activities over the weekends, but starting after 9:30 am, so that we are not
rushing like the rest of the week. Every
family is different.
SimplySmart child care is a childcare
institution or kindergarten that provides high quality child care in
Mississauga with a creative and stimulating environment focused on learning and
a "close to nature" concept.
SimplySmart Child Care Centre is a brand new
10,000+ sq.ft. Facility and created keeping a child’s needs in mind. It has an
enhanced, age appropriate curriculum for all age groups and there is an
additional focus on extracurricular activities. Children will learn yoga, dance
and music from trained instructors on a weekly basis, and French will be
introduced as a second language for children registered in the toddler program.
An on-site chef will prepare healthy meals, based on Health Canada food
guidelines, daily.
Tell us what has worked with you…
