When I think of the holidays I think of a time from Halloween to New Years Day. It actually is late October to early January. I include Halloween because I love it. I am not one to decorate for Halloween but I do enjoy the excitement of kids in costumes and an evening where our communities are filled with families walking from house to house. I also love Thanksgiving. I revel in the 4-5 days off and families being together. I can’t get enough football and food during Thanksgiving. And then there’s Christmas and its tag team partner New Years Eve. Who doesn’t love time off work and school? As I get older I especially enjoy the spiritual side of Christmas and the thought of God on Earth as a child.
When most people think of the holidays they think of food and lots of it. Each holiday is not just one day but each holiday is a group of days filled with overeating. For Halloween many kids get started with Trunk or Treat, Boo at the Zoo, or some type of celebration at a park or campground and then the big candy grab on the 31st. Typically there is enough candy for 2-4 weeks. That gets us to Thanksgiving and its multiple family get togethers. Some families like ours have a meal the weekend before and then a couple of places that we run to on Thanksgiving Day and then maybe a different family unit meets on the weekend after. What we often think of as one meal becomes 3, 4 or 5 meals. And don’t forget about the leftovers. Don’t even start thinking about Christmas and New Year’s Eve. I can’t start to mention all of the eating opportunities we get during those two holidays. So with all of that eating and all of those calories threatening our body composition how can we improve our children’s fitness you may ask. Read on to find out.
First we may have to start by limiting or setting a governor on our kids calorie intake. Let’s start with Halloween. Maybe not to go to so many houses. Limit the amount of candy that comes into your house by picking up less outside the house. Next maybe only eat the candy for a couple of days. Go through and pick out your child’s favorite candy and then give the remainder away or even dare I say throw some away! How do we deal with the family meals that come with the holidays? To start, if you have a child who has no issue with body composition then maybe you don’t limit it at all. But if there is that issue then trying to limit portion size and servings seems to be the best approche. I don’t suggest totally avoiding any foods especially during this time because we don’t want to risk causing our kids to develop a craving for something because it is restricted and also because we risk singling our kids out or making them feel different or body shamed if they can’t experience what everyone else in the family gets to enjoy. Then what about the leftovers? If you have leftovers that are calorie dense or high in sugars I would suggest they go in the trash if there is an issue with body composition in the family. Try not to make this a big issue. In the end we want to enjoy the holidays without stress.
All of the food at holiday meals can be used in a positive way. If you have a child who is a picky eater this may be a chance to expand their palate. Maybe this is the year when they try something new and learn that they can find flavor in foods that they had not tried in the past. I can tell you that this was the case for me in regards to sweet potatoes. For years I would not try them in any form, but one Thanksgiving I gave sweet potato casserole a try and I was in heaven. Within the year I was eating sweet potatoes in almost any form. But don’t be forceful. Being forceful with food is never effective with a strong willed picky child. All you need to do is have things available and set an example. Remember the holidays are supposed to be fun and do not add stress to your child or yourself by being a food pusher.
The Holidays can be a time of increased activity. Remember we have time off work and the kids have time off school. Use this time to be more active. Play in the yard. Go to a park. It’s winter time so go ice skating. At family get-togethers, take a football, frisbee or other items so that your kids have something to do outside after the meal. Be a leader and set an example by going outside with them. Organize a game with the kids. One fun event that we do with family members on Thanksgiving is to run a local 5K on Thanksgiving morning. It is one of the funnest 5Ks of the year. Most cities will have one. We have done them in our home town, California, New Hampshire, and Miami.
The last way to reframe the holiday season and use it to improve your child’s fitness is to buy Christmas gifts that help your child be more active. It is obvious that you can buy sports equipment like balls, nets and other items, but you can also buy active gifts like bikes, scooters, skateboards, hula hoops, and pogo sticks. You could buy a gift for the whole family like a gym membership or membership to a fitness club. Be creative with your gift giving so it can be a benefit to your child’s health.
This season let’s reclaim the holidays. When it is all over and we start the new year I hope you can look back and say that not only did you have a great family time and created great family memories but you also helped your children be more healthy.
