Ab Workout - Combating Childhood Obesity

By Jose Loni

Include combating childhood obesity in your ab workout arsenal as childhood obesity is the leading cause of adult abdominal obesity. Children today have lost the balance between the energy they take in and the energy they expend, which is key to a healthy weight. They are faced with more food choices, more processed foods and large food portions. And modern man has engineered physical activity out of our children's lives, replacing it with remote controls, computer and video games. As a result, childhood obesity is on the rise.

The single largest factor in childhood obesity is lack of physical activity and excessive sedentary behaviour-watching too much television and playing too many video games. This sedentary lifestyle is the greatest risk factor when it comes to collecting fat around the abdomen. Abdominal fat is the invisible fat surrounding the inner organs, which gives the stomach its roundness and height.

Excess fat in the stomach area is more damaging for the heart than a few extra pounds on your bottom, thighs and hips. Each centimeter increase in the waistline increases the risk of heart disease because abdominal fat is more active. It enters the blood system and adversely affects our blood vessels, liver, blood fats and blood pressure. It also slows sugar metabolism since the body's insulin becomes less effective.

But health risks can be dealt with relatively easily. Exercise is the best way for the body to rid itself of abdominal fat. Exercising at least twice a week for at least half an hour at a time decreases incidence of abdominal obesity. And parents can encourage their children to be more active and join organized sports, dance classes or just being outdoors more instead of letting them be couch potatoes and playing computer and video games all day long.

Schools can do their part by organizing a more appealing physical education program. Offer classes like martial arts, basketball, baseball, and dance to attract much more participation from students, which is needed to combat childhood obesity.

School cafeterias can also serve healthier food choices and smaller portions for its students to increase alertness (high fat and high carbohydrate foods lead to lethargy) and avoid overeating. At home, parents should lead by example and serve nutritious food and a well-balanced diet.

There is an unfortunate correlation between the increase in child obesity and the popularity of video games. In addition, a decreased interest in customary outdoor play, overuse of the internet and the proliferation of television programming contribute to the rise in childhood obesity.

But combating childhood obesity can be done through early exposure to physical activity, healthy food choices and maintaining balance in their food intake and energy expenditure. Making these a part of their ab workout routine will get childhood obesity numbers down again.

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