Newspaper Page Text
Vol. 1 Number 11
Experts agree: Start exercise early
Parents can be important role models for their children in eating, exercising
By KIMBERIA L. CASSEL
Health Matters Writer
Getting the new year off to
a healthy start for young stu
dents depends a lot on the type
role ii odel parents play in the
lives of their children.
"We’ve turned into a fast
food society,” said Houston
County Drug and Health Edu
cation Coordinator Frankie
Ross. "It takes a conscientious
parent to take the time to pick
out good foods for his or her
children.”
Russell Elementary School
physical education teacher
Cathy Sutton said parents who
allow children to go with them
to buy groceries, and help pre
pare and plan the meals make
their children more aware of
the importance of a balanced
diet.
Ross said parents need to
pay close attention to the kind
of role models they exhibit to
ward health and diet. If the
family goes out for dinner and
orders hamburgers, Ross sug
gests getting side salads in
place of french fries.
“We can give them the
knowledge at school,” said
Ross, “but they need to put it
into practice at home.”
Warner Robins Middle
School physical education
teacher Carol Beatty said she
does not like to hear “kids this
age (in middle school) talk
about dieting.”
“I like to see them get out
and exercise unless their diet is
under the care of a physician,”
she said. “Usually the kids this
age who talk about dieting
don’t need to be dieting.”
Beatty said she feels parents
need to encourage activities
which include physical exer
tion.
“With today’s video games,
the kids are mentally active,
not physically active,” she
said.
During adolescence, usual
ly the middle school years,
kids’ bodies tend to increase
the number of fat cells, ac
cording to Ross. She said the
other times fat cells tend to in-
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Health Matters Photo by Sue Sapp
EXERCISE TIME Tiffany Starling,, a seventh grader at Warner Robins Middle School, par
ticipates in floor stretching exercises during physical education class at the school.
crease are during gestation and
the first year of life.
“If you encourage students
to be physically active during
this time, it will stay with them
for the rest of their lives,” said
‘With today’s video
games, the kids are
mentally active, not
physically active.’ said
Carol Beatty of Warner
Robins Middle School.
Beatty.
In middle school physical
education classes, Beatty said
she tries not to stay on one
type of activity or sport for
more than two weeks.
“It’s things they can do for a
lifetime,” she said. “We try to
minimize the competition.”
Beatty said non-competi
tive activities such as walking
or jogging can have greater
benefits over a lifetime be
A MONTHLY MAGAZINE FOR YOUR HEALTH AND WELLNESS
Sunday, January 23, 1994
cause they can continue to be
practiced whereas muscles
give out and competitive ac
tivities such as tennis and
softball may require too much
energy as a person gets older.
Parents getting involved
with their children’s activities
helps encourage the children
to be active, according to
Ross.
“When I walk, I have my
little boy ride his bike along
side of me,” she said.
Another idea Ross suggest
ed is for parents to enroll their
children at the recreation de
partment if they do not make
the school sports team of their
choice.
“It may be a little inconve
nient or costly, but it’s benefi
cial because the children are
more healthy,” she said.
“The cost is small com
pared to the benefits,” said
Beatty.
Beatty said at WRMS, it is
obvious which students in
volved in sports have parental
support backing them. It helps
encourage the student’s atti
tudes of getting involved in ac
tivities.
Sutton said picking an ac
tivity the parents and children
can do together usually en
courages the children.
“Our family bowls even
my four-year-old bowls,” she
said.
Setting aside the time for
the activity, three times a week
minimum for 30 minutes, will
prove to be beneficial, accord
ing to Sutton. Doing an activi
ty once a month will be more
harmful than helpful. She said
the child will not improve in
the activity and it will be more
strenuous and frustrating each
time it is done.
Sutton said she does not
suggest for a parents to push a
child in any activity simply be
cause they were good at it
when they were their child’s
age. She said each person’s en
joyment is different.
“They need to start off slow
and work their way up,” she
said.
Matters
Warner Robins, Georgia
2
Overeating, bulimia and
anorexia are eating disorders
which can be helped through a
support group.
7
An artificial has
been improved over previous
models has been approved for
additional use in the United
States.
8
The flu outbreak in the United
States has reached 30 states
and make be reaching a peak.
10
Eat out a lot? Here’s how to eat out
and still eat a healthy diet.
13
Just what is an emergency?
When is it time to head to the
hospital and when is it time to
call the doctor? A new book
offers suggestions.
15
One expert believes the best
health insurance is teaching
youngsters healthy living
habits.