Childhood Obesity - Do you have an overweight child? We offer tips to help your child lose weight and get fit!

The My Overweight Child blog will help you keep informed about the latest research, findings, and resources available to parents of overweight or obese kids. There are many knowledgeable people working on the increasingly dire problem of childhood obesity - and we want to give parents a place where they can check in regularly to see the latest studies and tips available to help you help your child lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

We invite you to add your comments - if you have feedback for the blog, would like some specific topics covered, or you just want to share your experience as a parent dealing with childhood obesity.

Why Not Specialize in Sports?

If your child shows an interest and ability in one sport such as ice-skating or dance, should you allow her to pursue this sport to the exclusion of all others?

Maybe not. While specialization in one sport or activity does promote a high level of physical activity, in the long run it may not promote fitness for life. Recently, researchers from Queen's University in Kingston and York University studied the childhood sports experiences of 18 master triathletes, and concluded that children who specialize in one sport early on are not as likely to be active in adulthood as those children who experienced a variety of sports and physical activities.

This may be because training for a specialty sport is more intense and less like play, whereas more low key sports experience is perceived as being funwhich can provide a love of physical activity which may last into adulthood.

Posted By: Lori S