Healthy Active Living and

Balance
Dr. Annick Buchholz, C.Psych.
Dr. Laurie Clark, C.Psych.
Kelly Heffernan, RD


Tonights Agenda
What is health?
Balancing busy schedules
Health at Every Size
Balanced eating
Physical activity in our daily lives
Sleep
Body Image and Emotional Health
What Is Health?
Health is a state of complete physical, mental,
and social well-being and not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity.

World Health Organization

What is a healthy lifestyle for a child ?


Basic health behaviours
Nutrition
Physical Activity,
Sedentary Time
Sleep
Coping and Emotional
Development

Daily living activities
School
Homework
Extra-curricular
Activities
Time with family and
friends
Chores


Balance
What is a healthy lifestyle for a parent?


Basic health behaviours
Nutrition
Physical Activity,
Sedentary Time
Sleep
Coping and Emotional
Development

Daily living activities
Work
Chores
Extracurricular activities
Family needs
Time with family and
friends



Balance
Key Ingredients to Balance
Schedules work
Do not over schedule
Parents self care and mental health count
Sleep matters
Setting loving limits is important


Health at Every Size
Diets are harmful and dont work
Focus on your childs health behaviours and
not their weight
Advocate for size diversity
Remember to provide children with genuine
body image compliments
You look great today

Who is healthier?
Person A

Ht: 7 1
Wt: 325 lbs
BMI: 32
%BF: 12%
WC: 90 cm
BP: 114/72
Chol: High HDL, Low LDL,
TGs with in normal range


Person B

Ht: 5 9
Wt: 138 lbs
BMI: 21
%BF: 10%
WC: 78 cm
BP: 122/84
Chol: Low HDL, High LDL and
TG
Healthy life style versus weight
BMI= 32 kg/m2
obese
BMI= 21 kg/m2
normal weight
Balanced Healthy Eating



Balanced Healthy Eating
Each Day, 6-9 year olds require:
5-6 Vegetables and Fruit
4-6 Grains
2-4 Milk and Alternatives
1-2 Meat and Alternatives
Fluid requirements based on weight, H20

For Optimal Nutrition, Growth and Development how?
Its a Balancing Act


1. Meals 3-4 food groups
2. Snacks 2-3 food groups
3. Eat every 2.5-3 hours
4. Balance over the week
Balancing Healthy Eating
& the Division of Responsibility
Parents provide structure, support and
opportunities.

Children choose how much and whether to
eat from what the parents provide.

Ellyn Satter 2011, www.ellynsatter.com
Balancing Healthy Eating

Food refusal is common for children
Vegetables
Food Jags are normal
Reintroduction is key

Parents/caregivers, historically, in an effort to
have a healthy child will:


Feed frequently
Offer large portions
Offer preferred foods

Offer food in response to crying
Coerce with food when available
Reward with food
Balancing Healthy Eating

Traditional feeding and their outcomes:

1. Coercion to eat healthy food = Aversions/Dislikes





Balancing Healthy Eating
Traditional feeding and their outcomes:

2. Clean your plate = Attention to external cues





Balancing Healthy Eating
Traditional feeding and their outcomes:

3. Food restriction = Increased desire







E.g. Fisher and Birch (1999) preschool aged, allowed certain
foods and restricted others. What was the response?




Balancing Healthy Eating
How can we incorporate treat foods?














Balanced Eating &
Sugary Sweetened Beverages
Sugary beverages include:
Sports drinks, energy drinks fruit juice, pop, iced coffee,
specialty coffees, others




Consumption has been gradually increasing over
the past few decades
20% of caloric intake for 4-18 year olds
30% of caloric intake for 1-3 year olds


Hassink, Seminarts Ped Surg (2009), 18, 159-167
Balanced Eating &
Sugary Sweetened Beverages

One of the main contributors to
increased energy intake for kids



AAP recommends:
4-6 oz (120-180 mL)/day for 1-6 year olds
8-12 oz (240-360 mL)/day > 6 year olds



Seach et al, Int J Obes, 34(10)1475-9, 2010
Tips to help with Balanced Eating
Provide Structure
Eat at a table with no screen on
Have family meals more often
Make meal time enjoyable and fun
Involve kids
Encourage variety
Healthy plate
Allow treats
Limit eating out to 1x/week
Role model





Physical Activity
Is movement that increases our heart rate and our
breathing and requires muscles to use energy.
Physical Activity: Its Rewards
Enhances healthy growth and development
Promotes coordination and balance
Improved sleep
Increased concentration
Better academic scores
Improved self esteem
Learn social skills cooperation, teamwork, listening

Physical Activity Guidelines
Children 5-11 years
www.csep.ca/CMFiles/Guidelines/CSEP-InfoSheets-child-ENG.pdf
Intensity Talk
www.csep.ca/CMFiles/Guidelines/CSEP-InfoSheets-child-ENG.pdf
1
10
5-6
1
10
7-8
Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines
www.csep.ca/CMFiles/Guidelines/CSEP-InfoSheets-ENG-Children%20FINAL.pdf
Screen Time
Children and screen time:
6 hrs/day on weekdays
7 hrs/day on weekend days*

In 1971, average age a child started watching TV
was 4 years; today, it is 5 months**

Canadian children spent 62% of their waking hours
being sedentary***

*2010 Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card
**Zimmerman et al. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007
***CSEP Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines
Leaves little time to be active!
We tell our children to be active
But have we forgotten that in order for kids to be
active, it needs to be easy and natural for them?
What can parents do to
increase Physical Activity
Start early in life
Role modeling
Balance screen time with active time
Variety
Dress for success
Schedule It!
Tips to Tame the Screen
Set basic rules & weekly plans
e.g. no screen time before homework or chores are done
e.g. let your child choose 2 shows or computer/video games they
can watch/play each day

No watching TV, playing with ipod during mealtimes

Choose specific shows to watch avoid TV on as
constant background

Share expectations with caregivers

Childhood Obesity Resource: Obesity Society
Participation www.participation.com
Sleep Hygiene
The promotion of regular sleep
Adapted from Early childhood obesity prevention policies. Institute of Medicine. 2011
Age Sleep Needs (Per 24 Hour Period)
Newborns (1-2 mo.) 10.5-18 hours
Infants (3-11 mo.) 9-12 hours at night +
0.5 2 hour naps, 1-4x per day
Toddlers (1-3 yrs) 12-14 hours
Pre-schoolers (3-5 yrs) 11-13 hours
School-aged Children
(5-12 yrs)
10-11 hours
Teenagers (12-17 yrs) 8.5-9.25 hours
Sleep Hygiene: Tips for Promoting Sleep
Create environments that ensure restful sleep
No screen/media where children sleep
Low noise and light levels

Create a bedtime routine
Relaxing activities & tasks before bed
E.g. Bath
Brush teeth
Story/Quiet Time
Lights out

Routine, Routine, Routine!
Going beyond Health Behaviours:
Emotional Health
We want kids to feel good about
themselves
What is Body Image?
How we think and feel about our bodies
How we treat our bodies
It is a core component of Self Esteem for people of all ages,
including kids
Body Image: Where does it come from?
Influences:
Family what we say & do, how we treat our own bodies
Friends & Peers group norms,
Community and culture school climate, community
celebration of diversity
The media a powerful influence & pressure on our youth today
Body image messages are ever present and typically state:
Thin women are beautiful, successful, and happy
Muscular men are handsome and successful

Women: The Thin Ideal
Men: Muscle, Muscle, Muscle
Educate children and youth
about how societies image of
ideal beauty changes across
the years.
Its not just teens and adults
The Media also Sends Messages about Nutrition
Our kids are being targeted
by a powerful machine

Mixed Messages in
the Media around
Food
6-9 Year Olds
Kids are NOT mini adults
They are concrete thinkers
They have not developed insight or good self-regulation (I am
tired so I think I will go to bed now)

Our messages to them need to be tailored to
their level of understanding

Kids LOVE structure

Putting It all together: The Balancing Act
Putting It all together: The Balancing Act
Kids need to move but they also need downtime
We dont want to over-schedule our kids
Time to recharge
Learning emotion regulation and self-soothing skills
Unstructured Play is just as important as structured play
Fosters creativity and social development
Self determination
Schedule in downtime and unstructured play as you would
structured activities.
Talking to Kids about Nutrition, Physical
Activity and Health
Remember Kids often think in Black & White
Place the key on BALANCE
Avoid referring to foods or activities as being
either good or bad
Focus on the positive kids respond to positive
reinforcement more than to punishment



Make the Switch
Promoting Health Messages to Avoid

Nutrition

Colourful plates
All FOODS FIT
Labelling foods as good
or bad
Counting calories, fat, etc.

Physical
Activity
Physical Activity is
For fun,
To connect with
friends & family
To feel good
Physical Activity to work
off food

Physical Activity to change
body shape
Make the Switch: Positive Body Image
Dont
Keep glossy diet fitness & fashion magazines around
Criticize your own appearance or clothes in front of children
Comment on childs weight/shape


Do
Teach children to be critical of the media & its messages
Focus on the Instrumental, not the Ornamental
Provide Opportunities to build self-esteem
We Need to Walk the Walk:
Parents as Role Models
Our own health behaviors
Engage in activity yourself and limit your own screen
time
Make Family time Active time
Start with Small Changes & build routine
Walk to school (even if only part of the way) with your
kids
A Saturday walk and then a movie
Work at Consistency