Better Health: A 2012 Family Christmas Gift

Make Health your 2012 Family Gift 

The highest goal of a parent or grandparent is preparing our children for a life more successful and abundant than the life we live. Health should be considered one of the most important signs of success in life. As you and your family celebrate Christmas and the holidays, commit to gifting you and your family with the gift of better health in 2012.

Decades of medical research demonstrates a strong link between obesity and conditions such as type 2 diabetes, cancer, and high blood pressure. It is a fact that these conditions will appear in many
adults as we age. Many adults require medications to treat these life-threatening conditions. Yet, medications are the main method that should be used to control obesity-related problems. A more healthy lifestyle is a factor that all people can employ to improve type 2 diabetes, lower blood pressure, and reverse obesity.




Begin your Family Christmas Gifts that will lead to better health for all in 2012 right now. These are simple yet powerful suggestion that will benefit everyone in the family.

Commit to Healthy Eating 

Buy freshly grown foods and seek well-balanced food choices. Make it a point to eat family meals together as often as possible. Eat healthy foods with your family and be the leader in trying new foods. Choose reasonable size food portions.

Eliminate routine snacks and look for healthy snacks without hydrogenated oils, white flour, or corn syrup.  Avoid using sweets as rewards.

Exercise Together

Exercise doesn't mean weight lifting or running on the treadmill. A family game of basketball or a brisk walk are simple ways to get more exercise when done regularly. There is a variety of other fun and inexpensive ways to stay active such as jumping rope, making an obstacle course, or climbing on a playground jungle gym that helps to develop strong muscles and burn calories.

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Heart Health Begins Early

High cholesterol and artery inflammation seen in young
overweight children 

Will today's pre-schoolers be heart patients in their 20s? 


A recent medical research study showed alarming findings. Overweight kids who participated in a national health screening had blood markers linked to heart disease.

The health survey showed abnormal cholesterol levels and levels of substances linked to inflammation and  blood vessel damage.

While this study doesn't mean that damage is definite or that a heart attack is around the corner, the study does have some important implications. As parent's it is vital to care for our children's health. Childhood obesity is linked with a number of health problems including high blood pressure, sleep apnea, fatty liver disease, and hip problems. The toll of prolonged time at an unhealthy weight will eventually catch up and impact a child's health in young adulthood.

Beginning a family-wide change in diet and fitness is the best Christmas present that a parent can do for themselves and their overweight children.