Children are precious to God. From the beginning, God has directed his people to teach their children His Word. Deuteronomy 11:18-20 tells us: “Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul…. And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates.” 

I have a good friend that takes this verse very serious. She teaches her children the word and how to be whole in spirit, soul and body. She doesn’t expect her kids to do things like exercise or eating correctly if she isn’t setting a good example herself. As a result, her kids are healthy and have a correct body weight for their frame and age. We must be examples!  

Lack of exercise is the primary cause of obesity among kids ages 11 to 15, according to the results of a new study. Instead of being active, kids are spending more of their time playing computer games and watching TV. 

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, School of medicine and San Diego state University compiled data on 878 adolescents living throughout San Diego County. In addition to recording the amount of daily physical activity each child did, researchers looked at hours spent in front of the TV, percentage of daily calories from total fat and saturated fat, and the amount of fiber consumed per day. 

They found that 45.7 percent were either overweight or at risk for becoming overweight. They also discovered that the more television boys watched, the more likely they were to be overweight or at risk for becoming overweight. The same correlation was not seen in girls. 

While normal- weight children reported higher intakes of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, the amount of fat consumed was not significantly different between nor-weight and overweight children. Therefore, researchers concluded that fiber intake, and not fat calories, was more closely related to an individual’s weight. 

Source: Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 2004; 158, 385-390

Copyright 2004 by Sheri Wiese

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About the Writer:

Sheri Ayers Wiese is a certified aerobics instructor through American Council on exercise and holds a B.S. in Health and Exercise Science from Oral Roberts University. More importantly she is a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ with a vision to help people be whole in spirit, soul and body!