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I receive the Nutrition and Your Child Newsletter which is a research-based newsletter produced by the USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center (CNRC) at Baylor College of Medicine.  I was really intrigued by this recent snippet which linked the creation of a positive athletic self-image in children to being active throughout life.  I attached part of the newsletter below and hope you enjoy it too.  It’s amazing how truly influential we can be in children’s lives and their future health.  

Encourage a positive self-image to keep kids active

Children and adolescents who have a positive sense of their athletic identity are more likely to be physically active – information that parents can use as an effective tool in the fight against obesity.

“Self-identity, which includes athletic identity and self-image, starts when a child is born so it’s important for parents to see that they can encourage the development of these positive views. In fact, parents are a strong influence on how children see themselves,” said Cheryl Braselton Anderson, Ph.D., assistant professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and a researcher at the ARS/USDA Children’s Nutrition Research Center at BCM.

Anderson has conducted studies that established the relationship between athletic identity and physical activity – or the sense of one’s self as being athletic – and participation in team sports. Her most recent study “Contribution of Athletic Identity to Child and Adolescent Physical Activity,” appeared in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

This study examined the contribution of athletic identity to children’s physical activity and team sports participation among 1,339 students in grades four, five, seven and eight. Since a child’s gender, race and weight status (Body Mass Index, or BMI) may affect their athletic identity and sports participation, the study also investigated the association of these variables on children’s physical activity.

Study participants completed an Athletic Identity Questionnaire, which measured their self-perceptions of athletic appearance; competence; importance of physical activity and sports; and encouragement received from parents, teachers and friends.

“We found that over and above gender, race and BMI, positive athletic identity is still highly predictive of activity and team participation,” Anderson said. “That’s important because it shows that we can cultivate a positive self-view no matter whether you have boys or girls or what ethnic background kids are or even how heavy they are.”

Anderson encouraged parents to think outside the box when trying to find physical activities for their children. Not all kids and teens are interested or skilled in traditional sports like baseball and basketball. But there are other opportunities, like biking or fun runs.

It is important for children to see themselves as athletic, Anderson said, because it will help them to remain physically active over time, even into adulthood. It is routine physical activity, such as exercise, that produces long-term health benefits.

“People who see themselves as physically active continue to be active over their lifetime,” she said. “There may be some interruptions because of certain life circumstances, but they don’t let their activity level slide long-term.”

Childhood obesity is a serious health issue that has been linked with cardiovascular and respiratory disease, Type 2 diabetes and certain cancers. About 34 percent of children and adolescents age 6 to 19 are considered overweight or obese. Current recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) call for one hour or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day for school-aged children and adolescents.

“Parents are crucial agents in exciting and motivating children, building their confidence and making physical activity a positive part of their life,” said Anderson. “They, for better or worse, are the initial architects of a child’s athletic identity.”

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Wow, pretty empowering isn’t it?  It does make sense though and it’s pretty darn neat 🙂

I would say that I was empowered to be active when I was a youngin’, mostly when my parents enrolled me in a local dance school because I was curious driving by one day.  I believe that has kept me confident in being active and has inspired me to remain active now and in the future.  It gives me a sense of identity, comfort and enjoyment.  I’m sure this could also go the other way too where an individual wasn’t as active when they were younger and became inspired for themselves later.  Really I believe that kids just need to be involved in something that increases their positive sense of self.

ah, good memories . . . I was also pretty shy as a kid and dance gave me a great form of expression and I loved being on stage!  I need to get my mom to scan some of my dance photos when I was little, they are a hoot!

Nevada Ballet Theatre girls (I’m on the left)

Lots of make-up and lashes!  We used to always make fun of the bright red lipstick we had to wear lol

Go Wolfpack!  (I’m on the right)

What do you think?  Were you pretty active as a child or just recently as an adult?

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Chris has been getting home pretty late lately, so I’ve been trying to whip up things that are fairly easy.  For dinner yesterday I whipped up a usual favorite of teriyaki chicken.  Using TJs Soyaki, I simply marinated some chicken breasts and then, because we are out of propane at the moment, I wrapped them in foil and baked ’em at 375-400 F for about 20 minutes.  They don’t come out with nice grill marks but are still tasty.

On the side I sautéed up some frozen veggies and instead of rice I made some farro which only takes about 18 minutes to cook.  I think hands down, farro is my favorite grain next to quinoa.

Oh and I can’t forget TJ’s potstickers mmm

I also made some pizza using Fresh & Easy’s pizza dough.  Usually I make my own pizza dough because it’s pretty darn easy and cheap, but this time around time was of the essence.  It just takes a bit of time for the yeasties to do their thing.  This pizza dough is actually really good, a bit thicker than I like, but tasty!

I used the WW pizza dough and Rosemary focaccia dough.

I like to make mini ones because they cook faster and are easier to handle, but I still managed to get cornmeal everywhere 🙂  I roasted up a mix of veggies including mushrooms, zucchini and sweet potatoes at 425 F for about 40 minutes and then topped them with a few pieces of chopped prosciutto and fontina cheese. This time around I got some pretty weird shapes. This one below looks like batman wings?

And the best part of making your own pizza?  Lots of leftovers!!!  These held us over quite well for lunch the next few days 🙂

I tried Tres Leches cake for the first time when we celebrated my colleagues birthday recently.  OMG, why have I not tried this before?  It was glorious and moist, very filling, but not overly sweet.  I’m going to have to make this on my own. I’m sure it’s calorie-free and low-fat too, right? ha! Has anyone ever made it?

I brought Chris home a big slice and had to steal two bites hehe

For my dessert I brought back the kid in me and had a nice, refreshing . . . BIG STICK!!!   Oh how I loved these as a kid and I would eat them in about 20 seconds flat.  I could eat cold things really fast.  I know they are pretty much all sugar, but they don’t have any weird colorings and are only 70 kcals & 17g of CHO per stick.  Plus with this hot weather, it’s sure refreshing!

Other things I loved as a kid:

• Anything gummy, you name it – fruit roll-ups, gushers, gummy bears
• Velveeta Mac n’ Cheese – oh yes, the cheesy salty goodness that my nana would always make for me
• TCTs – Tortilla, Cheese, Tortilla – inventive eh?
• Peanut butter milkshakes from Sonic – My parents and I would sometimes take a Sunday drive and stop at Sonic beforehand.  I would order the XL shake and suck that puppy down.
• Little Debbie Nutty Bars – oh how I loved these!  I think I’ve been in love with peanut butter since birth.
• I’m sure there’s more, but I can’t think of anymore at the moment!

Were you active as a kid?  Any kiddie food favorites?

Happy Weekend to you!

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