Introducing the Healthy Lifestyles Clinic at Stepping Stone Pediatrics…. Where Small Changes Lead to Huge Impacts (Part 1)
When many of you who are reading this right now were kids, family meals were detailed and time-consuming events. Mealtime culminated with the entire family gathered around the dinner table (yes, all at the same time!), for a leisurely meal and conversation about the day’s events and current politics (boy, wouldn’t we have a lot to talk about today)!
I know! I know! Not anymore. Times have certainly changed. There is no more leisurely time at home. But the need for healthy meals for the family has not changed and the waistlines and health of Americans reflect that. Today 1 in 3 children and adolescents are overweight or obese. That rate has tripled from a generation ago and Georgia has the tenth highest obesity rate in the nation (that’s more than a 1 in 3 rate)! Achieving a healthy lifestyle has never been more important than now. So how in the world are we supposed to get it all done? Both parents are working, many times splitting the day with work shifts (day and night). We struggle to balance work, family, carpooling, errands, and kid’s schedules! We do this often at the expense of meal planning, meal preparing, and family time. Healthful meals ARE a priority for all of us, but planning time just isn’t available, and it gets lost in the shuffle of everyday tasks of life.
Our Healthy Lifestyles Clinic for families can help. Tanya Wilcox, one of our Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, has had a special interest in this area and years of experience and specialized training to help our patients and their families address this issue. She explains it best:
“I feel that it is so important to integrate current evidence-based medicine and decision making, while also acknowledging the critical role of individual circumstances within EACH family to achieve the best outcomes for them and their children! Using current guidelines from CHOA’s Strong For Life program as well as national guidelines which include My Healthy Plate, I work with families collaboratively to develop an individualized plan to achieve their goals. Examples of these goals may include some or all of the following:
- To help with quick and healthful meals for their families
- To provide fun and interesting recipes that the family will enjoy
- To help organize and simplify menu planning and food shopping
- To provide the latest information on healthful eating and snacking
And that’s just the nutrition part! I also assess and discuss various options for physical activity! Together, we discussed behavior change strategies and goal-setting to get your family on track for starting small, healthy changes today that will have huge impacts for health later in life!”
Call our office today for more information on the Healthy Lifestyles Clinic and how Tanya can help you to jump start your family’s healthy start right now!