children teens overweight; Depressed, anxious, etc.

Many children are drinking less sugary sodas in a recent survey however obesity is still a huge issue in America.

Children and Teens are not getting enough exercise in general. Most schools do not provide physical activities on a daily basis and few offer PE.

One of the biggest problems is addiction to : smartphones, you tube, Netflix, TV, Instagram, Facebook, snapchat, and Ipads, computers. Children are spending most of their day on electronic devices and are not involved in sports or dance or some time of physical activity.

Maintaining healthy weight or losing weight requires not only healthy eating but exercise.

Many children or stressed regarding their future, school grades, family relationships, peers, bullying, low self esteem, negative thinking, anxious and depressed. When children do not address these issues they will ooze out into unhealthy habits like over eating as well as many times they will stay locked into their rooms on electronics and behaviors will get worse and mood and anxiety will also get worse. Counseling to address this imbalance is essential. Lifeworksaz.com specializes in child, teen, and family mental health issues.

According to a new study based on a continuing national health survey, 60.7 percent of children and 50 percent of adults drank a sugary beverage on any given day in 2014, down from 79.7 percent of children and 61.5 percent of adults in 2003.

The study, published in the journal Obesity, relied on a representative sample of 18,000 children 2 to 19 years old, and 27,652 adults aged 20 and older. They were asked about their beverage consumption over the past 24 hours: juice, milk, sugar and diet soda, coffee and tea, sports drinks, water and alcohol.

Many schools are sending out letters to parents for children that are overweight. In a recent CA study 200 out of 900 children were overweight. Thirty five percent of children were overweight or obese. The goal is to educate parents and help them make healthier life choices for their children. Nutrition plays a huge role in behavior as well. There is a huge correlation between diet and mood. Unhealthy food intake and inactivity due to technology are two big factors in poor mental health and mood. Depression is on the rise due to being overweight in children and teens. Self esteem is impacted and social acceptance can be impacted.

A number of factors contribute to becoming overweight. Genetics, lifestyle habits, or a combination of both may be involved. In some instances, endocrine problems, genetic syndromes, and medications can be associated with excessive weight gain.

Much of what we eat is quick and easy — from fat-laden fast food to microwave and prepackaged meals. Daily schedules are so jam-packed that there’s little time to prepare healthier meals or to squeeze in some exercise. Portion sizes, in the home and out, have grown greatly.

Plus, now more than ever life is sedentary — kids spend more time playing with electronic devices, from computers to handheld video game systems, than actively playing outside. Television is a major culprit.

Kids younger than 6 spend an average of 2 hours a day in front of a screen, mostly watching TV, DVDs, or videos. Older kids and teens average 4.5 hours a day watching TV, DVDs, or videos. When computer use and video games are included, time spent in front of a screen increases to over 7 hours a day! Kids who watch more than 4 hours a day are more likely to be overweight compared with kids who watch 2 hours or less.

Not surprisingly, TV in the bedroom is also linked to increased likelihood of being overweight. In other words, for many kids, once they get home from school, virtually all of their free time is spent in front of one screen or another.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that kids over 2 years old not spend more than 1-2 hours a day in front of a screen. The AAP also discourages any screen time for children younger than 2 years old.

Many kids don’t get enough physical activity. Although physical education (PE) in schools can help kids get up and moving, more and more schools are eliminating PE programs or cutting down the time spent on fitness-building activities. One study showed that gym classes offered third-graders just 25 minutes of vigorous activity each week.

Current guidelines recommend that kids over 2 years old get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity on most, preferably all, days of the week. Babies and toddlers should be active for 15 minutes every hour (a total of 3 hours for every 12 waking hours) each day.

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