By Kyla Zalapski

Causes of Childhood obesity are the same as the causes of adult obesity, just sooner!: Terrible eating habits

• affordability
• availability
• advertising
• convenience
• decline in quality of food supply
• ignorance/lack of education
• Canada food guide

Lack of physical activity

• sedentary lifestyle encouraged
• technology
• less time available for parents/kids
• convenience
• reduction of in-school and after-school programs
• affordability
• availability
• ignorance/lack of education

As we age, metabolism slows, muscle degenerates and the frivolous choices made in our youth start to catch up with us.

The food we eat is essentially “cumulative” in so much as everything we put into our bodies is ultimately contributing to how you look on the outside and how you function on the inside. Over time, the accumulation of all our lifestyle choices manifests into the body we see when we look in the mirror every morning. If you don’t like what you see, then you need to start making changes and the most effective way to change your body is not primarily through exercise but through healthy eating. Every year, your body regenerates itself, so the food you eat TODAY is providing the building blocks for the body you will have this time next year. If you choose to eat sub-standard foods that have little function or value to the human body, you should not be surprised when that body ceases to look or function at its best. Determining your genetic potential requires that you make useful food choices each and every day!

Vanity may be (for most of us) our first motivation to live a healthier life but even for the most vain, physical fitness is a close second. We all want to “feel good” almost as much as we want to “look good”. The younger you are, the more you will tend to focus on the outward appearance of your body as a primary motivation to life a healthier lifestyle, NOT A BAD THING! You can achieve a “healthier” body that looks good without the help of diet aids and excessive exercise you just need to be educated on the foods you eat. As we age, our priorities shift and we begin to focus more on function for fear of getting old and being dysfunctional. Whatever the reason, the approach should be the same…………………………………You need to RESPECT your body!!!

1. Responsibility
2. Education
3. Set an example
4. Prioritize
5. Empowerment
6. Commitment
7. Time

• So Many Choices

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