I am taking public speaking at Lamar and I had to speak on an national issue that needed a solution so I chose childhood obesity. Here's my speech: "Has anyone seen the movie “Wall-e”? It’s funny to watch. But, if we’re not careful, we will all be confined to a robotic chair doing everything virtually and not being to pick ourselves up if we fall from lack of physical activity and poor eating habits! Children are our future. Even if you don’t have kids now, chances are, you will. Let’s start thinking ahead by creating habits that will last! Working in the fitness industry, I have seen the effects of physical inactivity and unhealthy eating. I will explain how we can make a difference in the health of our nation by creating healthy habits. We’ll start by looking at the effects of obesity and ways we can eat more nutritious food. letsmove.gov shares that over the past 3 decades, childhood obesity rates in America have tripled, 1 in 3 children are overweight or obese. If we don't solve this problem, 1/3 of children born after 2000 will have diabetes or chronic obesity-related health problem like heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, or asthma.” As stated earlier, the children are our future so this affects us all. According to BMC Public health, the rise in the obesity is due to environmental changes, such as easy access to large portions of energy- dense foods…” So, if parents control the type of food their children are consuming by limiting fast food and buying healthier food to cook at home, obesity in children will decline. James Rouse of helpcurechildobesity.com states to first take the child to a doctor to make sure there are no health issues other than poor nutrition. If the child is obese strictly due to eating the wrong foods, it is time to change their lifestyle. RN & PhD Barbara Polivka states that parents agree that schools should educate children on nutrition, get rid vending machines and make low-calorie meals available. If schools still do not provide healthy meals, parents can send a healthy lunch with their child. The other aspect is to become more active as a family. The authors of www.letsmove.gov wrote that with healthy eating, physical activity can prevent the 3 leading causes of death; heart disease, cancer, and stroke. They also stated that children need 60 minutes of play with moderate to vigorous activity every day to obtain a healthy weight. Journaled by authors Hills, Okely and Baur, “Failure to provide activity opportunities will increase the likelihood that the children of today will live less healthy (and possibly shorter) lives than their parents.” It has to start with the parent. Children are easily influenced by their parent’s habits. They need to see a role model that not only talks the talk but also walks the walk like scheduling time for exercise in everyday activities. Biomed Central says the parent’s role in childhood obesity should include increasing levels of physical activity. Get them moving at school. Most schools offer PE and athletics classes such as track, football & volleyball. After school activities like dance, gymnastics & baseball are also available in most communities. Families can get active together by riding bikes, walking, playing softball, basketball, tennis, or swimming. Be creative! Keep it simple and fun! So, as you can see, parents can play a vital role in fighting the obesity epidemic. In conclusion, As Michelle Obama put it. "The physical and emotional health of an entire generation and the economic health and security of our nation is at stake." How do you want to see the future of our nation? Dying of disease and suffering economically from medical bills or alive, fit and free to live a healthy life by incorporating healthy eating and physical activity.My hope is that we will all look toward the future and health of our nation by implementing a plan of action to become more physically fit and to pass on our healthy habits to our children!"
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