Although there’s only one month (September) specifically dedicated to childhood obesity awareness, your family should be mindful of the condition and strive to fight it year-round. The campaigns or activities that organizations and businesses hold in September can be your inspiration in keeping your family fit, active, and healthy.
One such event – the Stroller Strides – was recently held in Anchorage, Alaska. As part of this program by the franchise Fit4Mom Anchorage, participating moms did some stretching, jogging, and other exercises in Chester Creek Park with their kids in tow. With this activity, the moms hoped to pass on some lessons on healthy living to their children. Online correspondents Sierra Starks and Hope Miller report for KTVA:
It’s efforts like these that are necessary to overcome childhood obesity in the U.S., including Alaska, says Karol Fink, program manager with the Alaska Obesity Prevention and Control Program.
More than a third of children were overweight or obese in 2012, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those rates are roughly the same as Alaska and the Anchorage School District, Fink says.
Aside from undertaking healthy habits on your own, an Anchorage urgent care medical clinic can be your ally in fighting against obesity or its effects, and in protecting your family’s safety during physical activities. Here are some ways to do this:
Nutrition and Weight Loss Counseling
As mentioned in the KTVA article, diet and exercise go hand in hand in preventing obesity. If you or your child is already overweight, you should employ some modifications to your diet and engage in a more active lifestyle. Nutrition and weight loss counselors can recommend the best ways to do that.
Internal Medicine
Internists typically focus on preventing illnesses or detecting them at an early stage for treatment. As such, they can assess your conditions and advise you how to avoid obesity or manage its possible risks, like heart disease and diabetes.
Urgent Care Treatments
If you’re doing mile-long runs, bike marathons, and other exercises, you might incur ankle sprains, scrapes, minor asthma attacks, etc. Established Anchorage urgent care clinics like Primary Care Associates operate in accessible locations like Lake Otis, Eagle River, and South Anchorage (at Huffman & Old Seward). If you happen to be nearby when minor or non-life-threatening injuries happen, you can walk in and receive quality treatments right away.
(Source: Anchorage moms promote healthy living to their kids, KTVA, September 2, 2014)
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