Recently, I saw an ad on television that talked about the fact that over 12 million youths in America are overweight.  Let that number sink in for a second.  12 million.  12 million?  Are you kidding me?  That’s more than the total population of the entire nation of Greece.  The poor eating habits and sedentary lifesyles that today’s youth (and adults) live by certainly are the major factors to blame.  And, to be fair, we can’t really blame the children.

Even though your child will unlikely be singled out as heavy kids once were, that does not take away from the truly scary things about childhood obesity.  Obesity is linked to many, many diseases.  If your child is obese, they are likely to have some fairly unpleasant problems in the future.

- Type 2 diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Boosted risks for cardiovascular disease
- Back and joint problems
- Myocardial infractions
- Atherosclerosis
- Possibility of cancer development including prostate and breast cancers
- Decreased quality of life

As a parent, I couldn’t live with myself knowing that my child is being exposed to these health risks due to my decisions.  This is why parents need to be more aware of how bad childhood obesity is, and need to know what options they have for seeking help.  Such options include weight loss camp for kids, specialists in your area, and (of course) changes to diet and exercise routines.

Obesity is something that can be completely reversed if you are willing to work hard and if you are able to empower your child to work hard.  Adjusting one’s life to lose weight efficiently isn’t an overnight process, but if you commit to it now, you’ll be giving your child a wonderful gift; the gift of good health!