The Youth Obesity Solution
Parents, your child's life is at stake and it's time to make a change... Failure to take action NOW will be something you regret forever...That's a pretty powerful statement - festooned right on the cover of the book no less. It's alarmist, it's convicting and (as scary as it may sound), it's true.
Brian Grasso, founder of the International Youth Conditioning Association is an extremely intelligent, introspective individual. Naturally, I expected a detailed insight into the root causes of childhood obesity - a presentation of a deep psychological model, combined with the latest in cutting edge exercise advice. I was pleasantly disappointed...
This book cuts right to the chase - no sugar-coating, no uncertain terms, no digressions. It's a simple-to-understand, point blank look at the root of the problem and how to fix it. Brian makes no bones about the fact that the only solution of youth obesity lies in good nutrition and exercise - that's it. Here are some of the more powerful points that Grasso addresses within the book.
- We are to blame - not the kids (we meaning adults).
- If you want your child to become healthier, you have to as well
- To be sedentary goes against everything we are built for and doing the bare minimum will not save our children
- The 2 most prominent rules of exercise for children:
- Make it fun
- Play, don't exercise
- The message is clear: Activity needs to be interesting - something a child will look forward to and have fun doing.
- Brian is very much about progression - start with very minimal exercise and build
- On the eating end of things, Grasso's first golden rule of nutrition is particularly attention-grabbing: Stop pretending you don't know. Brian contends that no educated person on the planet doesn't know the basics of healthy eating.
- Quite simply: Fruits, veggies, whole grains and lean meats are healthy - candy and fried foods are not - the rest is just details.
- This one is on you, too, mom and dad - start eating healthy yourselves and put healthy food on the table.
- Preparing healthy foods is no harder than preparing pre-packaged foods.
- Counting calories is a no-no for kids
Also Useful
- Grasso has developed a skill/motivation continuum and shows guides parents on how to encourage children who are either low skill, low motivation, high motivation, low skill, etc.
- It's highly important for kids to associate a new, active lifestyle with fun and feeling good.
- The speed at which a child loses weight should not be a concern. Parents need to appreciate that this is a long-term process.
- Kids need to understand that they are kids - fully functional healthy young people who happen to be overweight.
Overall Opinion
This e-book is wonderful in its simplicity. It really cuts through the clutter and gets to the heart of the matter in powerful way. It is an easy-to-read, easy-to-follow guideline that throws down the gauntlet and challenges us as parents. The book may lack a little depth for those who want more detail on things such as healthy cooking and meal planning.
Brian has already established himself as a world authority on youth conditioning and in my opinion; this book has solidified him as a go-to-guy in the realm of childhood obesity as well.
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I had the pleasure of working for Brian Grasso in 2007 - and he is truly the leading expert on youth, and one of the greatest and most inspiring leaders I have ever met.
This program is exactly what our children and youth need. I think Mike summed it up perfectly with the word simplicity.
Kids don't need complicated exercise programs, or scheduled meal times - parents know this would never happen, and so does Brian. Kids need to have fun, to be challenged just enough, and to have better alternatives available for their nutritional needs.
I give Brian, and this new program, my full support.
John Sifferman NSCA-CPT
ReplyFitness Professional
The basic educated person knows what their told, which isn't always the truth. I see a lot of educated people who believe whatever is reported about health so I wouldn't pen this on education solely.
This book seems to be a repeat of things that have been said before. Mainstream ideas that don't really address the "childhood obesity epidemic." I assume it's lite on science, and the politics of the situation.More a beginners manual for "healthy living."
I don't want to sound like a downer, so I'll end by saying that it sounds like very sound advice.
ReplyMonkey see, monkey do.
Parents who eat junk and never exercise shouldn't be surprised that their kids aren't healthy
ReplyI disagree with the "your child's life is at stake" wording. Your child isn't going to die (soon), he or she is just going to be gravely disadvantaged for many years. Exaggeration is bad for credibility.
Otherwise this seems like a great message for parents. I wish my parents had this when I was young.
ReplyI suppose "Your child's quality of life is at stake" doesn't have quite the same ring to it.
ReplyThis sounds like a really great book for parents in this generation. I think one of the biggest factors that has increased the rate of childhood obesity in recent years is lack of exercise. I mean, when I was a kid we had an 8 bit Nintendo that was fun to play for about 15 minutes before we got bored with it. We didn't have a computer or the internet, so we played outside and did other kid stuff.
I do think most parents have at least an idea of what's healthy and what isn't. It's hard to debate that sliced apples are a better snack than a bag of chips, but a lot of parents think their kids won't like healthy stuff, so they feed them garbage. A kid doesn't just magically turn 18 and then all of a sudden LIKE fruits and veggies. You have to start them eating a varied diet very early...my sister was telling me that they actually gave my 11 month old nephew bites of dill pickle and he likes it! He also loves most veggies, although she had to let him try broccoli a few times before he actually started liking it. If you eat healthy and start your kids on healthy foods at an early age, you can't go wrong.
ReplyMy mother was a chronic dieter and so I learned how to diet. This is how I believe that I got fat. I never actually learned how to eat. Our fridge was full of weight watchers margarine, diet soda, low cal bread, and sweet & low. I didn't learn about real food. I don't have kids yet, but when I do, I am going to try to have mostly whole, real foods in the house and try to avoid processed foods and artificial diet foods.
ReplyNot so long ago the world health organization issued a warning that there our now concerns that parents will outlive their children. Gasso sounds like he's got a really sensible approach, so let's hope his book is a best-seller!
ReplyYou should know better than to give a single ounce of credibility to such an outlandish statement as that.
Certain groups are willing to lie to you if they feel it will make you do what they perceive is the right thing.Sadly this includes telling parents how they should raise their children.
These groups are more like activists than they are scientists.
ReplyCommunity learning events are great ways to get kids and their parents involved. Elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools routinely host career days and after school programs that can help introduce more people to healthy lifestyles.
ReplyLet the kids be kids, feed them good food, give them some fun stuff to do and don't train them to be dieters. They'll get the message soon enough that what they weight and what they look like is all that seems to matter in America.
Replyno kidding! My parents always had a huge garden, and we couldn't afford junk food. We did a lot of chores that were real WORK and I rode my bike to work and back every day in the summer (about 15 miles total). I was still overweight. It's not always someone's fault.
ReplyI'm not going to fight the exercise part of this, nor that habits are established early, but are they really going to push fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats as the ideal diet yet again? I don't want my kids having Vitamin A deficiencies, poorly developed brains, and underdeveloped bodies.
ReplyI think they'd have a better chance of developing those problems by eating a diet of sugary breakfast cereals, mac and cheese, frozen pizza and Hi-C than they would by eating a diet rich in fruits, veggies, whole grains and lean meats.
ReplyI would challenge one of the statements above.
One of the first Golden Rules of nutrition is "Stop pretending that you don't know".
I think the truth is that many people don't know. Our grandparents may have known. But the truth is that people under 35 have been bombarded by advertising messages and food choices so much that eating a fast food restaurant is normal.
People under 35 grew up on Happy Meals, soda, burgers, fries, and pizza. So the truth is that most of generation X doesn't know.
ReplyI think it is great that we are trying to attack our obesity problem at its roots.
Reply