Three Seashells and The Fight Against Childhood Obesity

Seashell, originally uploaded by RyanMT.

I was appalled by the latest news regarding childhood obesity.  It's projected that today's children are likely to be the first generation to live shorter, less healthy lives than their parents. Is this the gift we are leaving our children?  We can protect our children from weight-related problems, elevated blood pressure, premature heart disease and adult-onset diabetes, but the battle begins with us.       

On my recent trip to the Outer Banks in North Carolina, I engaged in a self-renewing ritual of throwing three seashells into the ocean, each representing something I wanted to give up. This year, as I threw each shell toward the water, a toddler playing nearby miraculously picked up the third shell. I sat there in amazement. With thousands of seashells to pick from, I couldn't believe she had managed to grab this one!  As I watched the child put the shell in her little pink bucket, a metaphor began to crystallize.  I had deliberately thrown the shell toward the sea, but I still felt as if I was holding on to something.  The seashell represented one of my strongholds, an area in my life I have been working on for a while. Then a message rang loud and clear:  What ever we hold on to, a stronghold, a disempowering belief, a life-limiting perspective, we ultimately pass down to our children.  For me, the little girl picking up the seashell represented this reality. 

With respect to giving our children a healthy, full and robust life.....

What is it to live in sync with what we want for them?

What would we have to give up?

What do we need more of? 

How can wellness be a pure expression of our core values? 

Our being will have the biggest impact on inspiring our children to live healthy lives. Here are a few extras we can pass on once we are physically and mentally vested:

Go to the park

Fly a kite

Take a day hike

Go museum hopping

Prepare meals with your children

Teach your kids how to read food labels

Show them correct portions of food

Have older kids pack healthy lunches

Go for an exploratory bike ride

Turn off the television

Talk to them about being healthy

Trade in the Nintendo DS for a Wii

Our children deserve to live long healthy lives.  Let's start today to create a healthier future for them!