Easy as 5-2-1-0

In support of the movement to eradicate childhood obesity, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued some new recommendations as part of their "Healthy Active Living" campaign.  The campaign centers around providing families of all demographics with attainable and realistic goals which can contribute to overall health and wellness of our families.

   The goals are also easy to remember, as the AAP has named the initiative "5-2-1-0".  Broken down, this translates to the following recommendations:

5 - Five fruits and vegetable servings per day(at least)
2 - Two hours or less of "screen time" per day.  This includes TV, computer, and video games.
1 - One hour of physical activity per day
0 - Zero sugar-sweetened drinks per day

Easy to remember, yes.  Easy to follow? Not for everyone, but reasonable enough to be implemented with some real effort and consciousness over time, for the sake of our growing children.  Remember, kids learn from those around them, as they are sort of a "blank slate" in this way.  Perhaps one of the most positive things you can do for your own children (and for yourself) is to model good eating habits and a physically active lifestyle.  It may take a while for school lunches and other negative influences to catch up to this type of movement, and waiting for the external world to teach and feed our children in a way that will promote their health, strength, and brains is not the way to go. 
For more on the White House Obesity Initiative and the AAP's efforts towards this cause, click here.