Worried About Your Child's Health? Look in to a Weight Loss Camp
http://www.familymaker.net/articles/3890/1/Worried-About-Your-Childs-Health-Look-in-to-a-Weight-Loss-Camp/Page1.html
David Kraft
David Kraft is a freelance author with many areas of specialization. He promotes healthy living for youth and provides information about weight loss camp for kids. You can learn more at his summer weight loss camp site. By David Kraft
Published on 03/17/2009
Deciding to send your child to a weight loss camp is no easy decision Beyond actually picking a camp, there are obvious concerns for how to address the issue with your child without hurting their self esteem
Deciding to send your child to a weight loss camp is no easy decision. Beyond actually picking a camp, there are obvious concerns for how to address the issue with your child without hurting their self esteem. The purpose of this article is to provide some advice for selecting the right camp for your child and for your family.
One of the secrets to the success of weight loss camps is positive peer pressure. In the same way that negative peer pressure can lead to teenagers doing bad things, positive peer pressure can be used to do things like get kids more active. Most weight loss camps provide a number of activities for kids to participate in that are, first and foremost, fun. The idea is that the kids begin to have fun, forget about the fact that they're exercising, and lose weight.
So, how do you choose a fitness camp? The answer is simple. You will want to do the following:
1) Budget - Stick to your budget. Do not stretch your budget to its max to send your child to one camp versus another. The financial stress that this could create can lead to parents placing unrealistic expectations and immense amounts of pressure on their children, which often hinders thier progress.
2) Activities - look for a camp that has activities that your child is or may be interested in. One of the main goals of most weight loss camps is to get the kids more active by providing a wide variety of fun activities. Look for a place where you child can particiapate in a few old favorite activities but will also be exposed to new things that might be the foundation of new hobbies.
3) Camp Philosophy - Call the camp director or main counselor and find out what their philosophies are on dieting, weight loss, and physical activity. Ask them how they measure success in a child and what foods they offer. If they say they offer a specified diet based on your child's metabolism and calorie needs, then you can say no thanks. If they say they encourage the children to eat healthy by offering lots of healthier foods alongside a few goodies (junk food) then you can say, when do I send him? The reason why is because you do not want your child under the guidance of diet maniacs who make children uncomfortable both physically and mentally by restricting calorie intake. A camp that allows your child to get seconds if they want is best. Less restriction is better (especially when there will be more opportunities for your child to eat the healthier foods). It's a win-win situation.
These guidelines should provide some assistance in selecting a weight loss camp for your teenager. If you child wants to get involved in the selection process, you should encourage them to. The more comfortable they get with the idea of going to weight loss camp, the more successful they will be while they are there.
One of the secrets to the success of weight loss camps is positive peer pressure. In the same way that negative peer pressure can lead to teenagers doing bad things, positive peer pressure can be used to do things like get kids more active. Most weight loss camps provide a number of activities for kids to participate in that are, first and foremost, fun. The idea is that the kids begin to have fun, forget about the fact that they're exercising, and lose weight.
So, how do you choose a fitness camp? The answer is simple. You will want to do the following:
1) Budget - Stick to your budget. Do not stretch your budget to its max to send your child to one camp versus another. The financial stress that this could create can lead to parents placing unrealistic expectations and immense amounts of pressure on their children, which often hinders thier progress.
2) Activities - look for a camp that has activities that your child is or may be interested in. One of the main goals of most weight loss camps is to get the kids more active by providing a wide variety of fun activities. Look for a place where you child can particiapate in a few old favorite activities but will also be exposed to new things that might be the foundation of new hobbies.
3) Camp Philosophy - Call the camp director or main counselor and find out what their philosophies are on dieting, weight loss, and physical activity. Ask them how they measure success in a child and what foods they offer. If they say they offer a specified diet based on your child's metabolism and calorie needs, then you can say no thanks. If they say they encourage the children to eat healthy by offering lots of healthier foods alongside a few goodies (junk food) then you can say, when do I send him? The reason why is because you do not want your child under the guidance of diet maniacs who make children uncomfortable both physically and mentally by restricting calorie intake. A camp that allows your child to get seconds if they want is best. Less restriction is better (especially when there will be more opportunities for your child to eat the healthier foods). It's a win-win situation.
These guidelines should provide some assistance in selecting a weight loss camp for your teenager. If you child wants to get involved in the selection process, you should encourage them to. The more comfortable they get with the idea of going to weight loss camp, the more successful they will be while they are there.