What is Childhood Obesity?

Childhood obesity is a modern epidemic with the number of obese children rising at an alarming rate. Childhood obesity is a medical condition in which the child is excessively overweight, so much so that it negatively affects the child’s wellbeing and development. This excessive weight is determined by calculating the child’s body mass index. When a child’s weight is much above the accepted weight limit for his or her age and height, the child is considered to be obese.

What are the Causes of Childhood Obesity?

Prevalent child obesity is a byproduct of our modern lifestyles. The two most telling reasons for this rise in obesity are poor eating habits and a lack of physical activity.

Most children do not practice healthy eating habits. Many children skip breakfast, the most important meal of the day, and eat out at least once during the day. Furthermore the day is punctuated with several unhealthy snacks like chips and aerated soft drinks. This results in an imbalanced diet, affecting the child adversely.

Bad food habits coupled with little or no physical activity is a fatal combination. Today children do not engage in adequate physical activity; the play grounds have been replaced by virtual gaming. Add television and the internet to this list and the grounds for activity are almost non-existent. These kids eat, but don’t burn off the calorie. As a result the excess energy is stored away as fat, which over time leads to obesity.

Childhood Obesity Effects

The most dangerous aspect of childhood obesity is that it leaves the child vulnerable to illnesses that once only the aged suffered from. This includes conditions like type 2 diabetes and several heart conditions. In addition obese children are also susceptible to sleep apnea, depression, low self esteem, rage, and anxiety disorders.

Childhood obesity introduces a train of unhealthy and disruptive designs to the child’s life. If these are ignored, they tend to become a part of the growing personality, creating a dysfunctional adult. This includes social ineptitude and awkwardness, anxiety and depression.

Can Yoga help Childhood Obesity?

For children battling obesity, Yoga can prove very beneficial. This holistic tradition has been practiced around the world for thousands of years with promising results. The beauty of Yoga is that it treats both the body and the mind; your physical progress is matched by a strong mental make-up enabling you to be more successful.

Yoga involves a series of gentle postures, breathing exercises and meditation techniques. Together these can treat obesity, correct imbalances in the body and create a healthy resolve to fight off the condition. Unlike other methods yoga doesn’t have any unpleasant side effects, neither is it strenuous. Most child obesity exercises leave the child frustrated. Child Yoga leaves the child refreshed and positive.

Yoga exercises involve a lot of stretching and bending, pushing all the muscles in the body into action. In addition kids also learn to breathe properly, utilizing complete lung capacity, improve posture and build self confidence. The meditative aspects of yoga helps children cope with stress and anxiety. It also boosts will power and concentration. It enables the child to control binge eating in the face of anxiety or boredom.