Personal Essay: Moving To Colorado

Physical activity also has benefits for children's social and emotional development and cognitive development. These benefits include being part of a team and making friends through group sports, which have a major impact on social and emotional development. The effect of obesity on children is closely linked to many bad health habits such as diet, smoking and drug use which in turn can affect a child's academic performance (Goran et al., 1999). Physical activity, if encouraged at a young age, can reduce the likelihood of children developing these behaviours and focus on their academic performance and cognitive development. As children in this age range are in their fundamental development stage, it is important that educators and parents alike, teach children about the importance of physical activity at a young age in order to prevent health and social well-being problems in their adult years.

Obesity, and more importantly childhood obesity, is drastically effecting the United States of America and other parts of the world, more and more each day. In the last 30 years, the amount of children who are six to eleven years old have doubled, and children who are twelve to nineteen years old have more than quadrupled. (“Facts”) The wild and wonderful state of West Virginia unfortunately has the title of the 2nd highest obesity rate in the United States at 35.7% as of 2014. The childhood obesity rate in West Virginia is 14.0% for two to four year olds, 18.5% for ten to seventeen year olds, and 15.6% for high school students in general. (“WV”) There was a census conducted in 2012 that showed that greater than one-third of children were overweight or obese too. (“Facts”) There is clearly a problem with West Virginia, the United States, and the world. Even though childhood obesity increases every year and is caused by many factors, it can be prevented.

This is my story when I moved to colorado and when I moved again and what I felt when we moved and the second story Is when I moved to a different neighborhood and school so enjoy.

At the age of 27, I had an epiphany; For my entire adult life, I had not been truly living. After careful consideration of solutions, seemingly endless nights of research, and thorough preparation, my decision was to uproot myself and move from Virginia to Colorado. In the three years that I lived there I learned many things about myself and my surroundings. I discovered the most beautiful and amazing nature scenes and had some exciting adventures. The daily sunshine and glorious views always brought a smile to my face and lifted my spirits. If I ever woke up not feeling great, all I had to do was take a step outside. There, my energy levels soared as I hiked my days away and enjoyed peace in the mountains, at the parks, and by the lakes and

The time that we moved to Westcliffe, Colorado. I always remember the times when my parents talked about coming out to Colorado. They said it was a place where they always felt good, especially my mom. Most of the time when we were back there, I remember that my mom was sick in bed, because of the heat and humidity. It made her really sick, but when she came out here, she always felt much better. That was one of the main reasons, why we moved here, because my dad knew that mom would feel better here in higher elevation. So when the day came, I was glad we moved somewhere else.

America's children are not getting enough exercise, and the health risks due to obesity are becoming epidemic in nature. Even First Lady Michelle Obama is supporting an initiative to help children become more active and to provide for exercise (at least 30-60 minutes per day) in all schools. Even limited amounts of exercise can have great health benefits. When humans exercise, the brain produces chemicals that help enhance mood, limit cravings for sugars, and contribute to healthier joints, muscles, the heart, and kidneys. In turn, this translates into more productive work time, the ability to sleep better, increase memory, and reduce dependence on medications. Children are so vulnerable to this health risk that if it continues, over 60% of graduating seniors will be clinically obese. Written by a medical journalist, the book is designed for the lay reader but has a number of documented scholarly sources.

To improve health and nutrition, schools can include healthier foods at the canteen and reduce selling unhealthier foods which are high in sugars and fats. To increase youth active levels, schools can promote walking routes around school (like Mr Hunts Wednesday walkies) and promote active recess time, through things such as Zumba or team

Childhood obesity is an epidemic in the US that, if left unchecked, will lead to a generation of adults who suffer from a multitude of problems such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes to name a few. Combatting childhood obesity is the first step to ensuring a healthier generation. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from 2011-2014, the obesity rate for children aged 2-19 years old was 17%, affecting approximately 12.7 million children and adolescents. Additionally, obesity disproportionally affects children in low-income families (CDC, 2017). The ultimate goal here at Project Hope, is to combat childhood obesity across the US, through education and health initiatives that will

Childhood obesity has expanded tremendously within the past thirty years (CDC, 2015). It is not only a state, but also a nationwide issue. For many children, they depend on their school lunches to provide them the nutritious meals they cannot afford to have at home. As a community, we need to get our children into better shape. Not only will they become more astute, but they will also live healthier lifestyles, and have less health complications as they age. When you are overweight or obese, you are much more likely to develop health problems like heart disease, diabetes, or even a stroke. It is our responsibility as a community, state, and nation to offer nutritious meals and activities for our youth and future.

You have selected such an important topic that we see is affecting many students. I currently work with children ages ranging from 3-5 years old and our program places such a great emphasis on educating families on preschoolers moving and eating healthy. In the article titled, Positive Brains Are Smarter Brains by Donna Wilson I found thought-provoking information regarding the importance of encouraging students to stay active. I learned that when we schedule challenging subjects immediately following physical education class and recess it help students channel their positive brain chemistry toward learning. Exercise increases blood flow to the brain and through the body. Furthermore, the additional blood in the “brain is particularly

Nutrition and weight status is a vitally important issue as obesity is on the rise in the United States. One third of children in this country ages 2-19 are either overweight or obese and this potentially sets them up to develop diabetes and other comorbidities during their lifetime (U.S. Task Force, 2010). It is important to promote health by way of consumption of healthy foods, getting adequate exercise and maintaining a healthy body weight and body image. The Let’s Move initiative, founded by First Lady Michelle Obama, approaches the obesity epidemic at a grassroots level and encourages children to eat healthy, get active and take actions towards a healthy lifestyle ("Let’s Move," n.d.).

While awareness of other dangers to children is widespread such as, stranger danger, helmets and seatbelts; the dangers of childhood obesity does not seem to raise enough attention. Reducing childhood obesity is a team effort involving parents, schools, health care professionals and government officials. Help us strengthen our voices against childhood

The childhood obesity issue has become so prominent that First Lady Obama has adopted childhood obesity as her pet project and has sworn to end it within a generation (USA Today. (2/9/2010). To that end and to assist her, Unite against Obesity, recognizing the prevalence of pediatric obesity in our own community has decided to launch series of programs and well-researched interventions that will target guardians and children at risk in our community.

The health of our citizens is abysmally poor in comparison to previous generations and the health of West Virginians ranks among the lowest in the nation. According to recent data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) in 2010, WV ranked sixth the nation in obesity and first in the nation in diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular morbidity. This health crises doesn’t just affect adults but children. The lifestyle habits impact our health are formed often we are very young.

The program Healthy people 2020 - a broad federal program with the goal of improving the health of all Americans. Under Healthy People 2020, several initiatives have been established with the help of other government offices to target different approaches in combating obesity. “Aim for a Healthy Weight” for example, is an NIH initiative under Healthy people 2020 which serves as a resource for healthy eating and physical activity to help to reach and maintain a healthy weight as a way to improve overall health and can help prevent and control many diseases and conditions (NIH, 2010). “We Can!” is another national campaign program under Healthy People 2020 designed to give parents, caregivers, and entire communities a way to help children 8 to 13 years old stay at a healthy weight through outreach, education and training.