Encouraging Health and Fitness At An Early Age
Posted By: Marcia Barber 
Date Posted: October 9th, 2009 Category: Health Care
Being healthy and fit starts with developing good habits early on; this serves us throughout our adult lives. Encouraging those habits with children, however, is often a challenge. Learning to eat right, exercise and embrace wellness isn’t necessarily a priority for our youth. Research shows that more than 10 percent of children between the ages of 2 and 5 are overweight; double the proportion since 1980, according to The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
The Girl Scout organization has examined the issue of health and wellness, particularly with girls, as related to childhood obesity. A research study completed by the National Girl Scout Research Institute called The New Normal? What Girls Say About Healthy Living, addresses the childhood obesity crisis by asking girls how they define health and what it means to lead a healthier lifestyle. Results indicated that today’s girls define "health" on their own terms and place the same value on emotional well-being and self-esteem as they do on diet and exercise. For girls, being healthy is also about feeling good and being supported by family and peers. Adults, and in particular mothers, play an important role in shaping the healthy habits and self-perception of girls.
How do we help our youth get healthy? Fortunately, there are opportunities for youth development and community-based organizations, schools, and public policy makers to engage and empower youth in healthy practices. Girl Scouts provides many program opportunities in the areas of health, fitness and wellness, tailored for girls, kindergarten through high school. And the programs are fun! For example, Fit’s Inn: A Fun Getaway for Girls is a program that promotes healthy living for girls in grades 2-5. Girls "check in" for a healthy getaway full of daily activities that inspire and challenge them to take action. They can try sports and dance, and even learn yoga-all from girls their own age who act as "personal coaches."
To address well-being and self-esteem, Girl Scouts also offers a program called Uniquely Me! which is available for girls ages 8-17. The program includes activities that focus on recognizing one’s strengths and best attributes, handling peer pressure, healthy eating habits, hygiene, general wellness, exercise, and identifying core values and personal interests. Additional information about eating disorders, the power of positive thinking, relationship, and stress is also available to girls, on an age-appropriate basis.
With opportunities like this through Girl Scouts, along with other youth-centered organizations, we can provide a good start for our children to lead healthy lives, and to pass those good habits along to future generations.