Most adults who take good care of their body’s physical needs and work out regularly are alert and have good mental health. Although there are always exceptions to general statements like the one just made, for the most part, a healthy body and healthy mind go together. However, this is not true for all children and teenagers.
Being a teen is tough. Most days your schedule is jam-packed with activities from the time you crawl out of bed to the time you face-plant onto your mattress at night. You're balancing school, social life, homework, chores, and a host of extracurricular stuff that might range from sports to band practice to an after-school job. You really don't have time to plan out your meals and count calories - but you still want to be healthy (and - let's face it - look great in those trendy new jeans).
Bullying is thought of as being an ordinary passage of growing up. We all remember being pelted with some sort of hurtful words. Some kids remember being beaten up on the playground. Although this wounded many children of generations past, it wasn't always taken seriously. When we hear the word "bully," we continue to think of it as not a big deal. However, bullying has changed. It is more than words or getting teased on the playground. It is inescapable harassment, physical assault, verbal abuse and a constant barrage of cyber attacks that leave kids feeling defeated, fearful and alone.
Nearly one-third of our children are either overweight or obese and the sad fact that this generation is the first not to have the life expectancy of their parents is part and parcel to this. There is good news, however, in that one statistic states that the more education people had the less likely they were to be heavy, so let's all focus on educating ourselves and our children. Improving children's health by teaching them to eat better is critical to academic success as well.
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