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Free 10-week health program for families comes to West Shore Parks and Rec

‘You can’t buy chips and say don’t eat it,’ says doctor about bad grocery shopping habits
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A 10-week re-vamped health program for families is being hosted at West Shore Parks and Rec, all completely for free. (Courtesy of Generation Health)

Imagine being a kid all over again and opening the doors of your fridge to see pizza, cake, and salad – which one would you choose for dinner?

A re-vamped health program designed specifically for families aims to help families make the right choice for the new year, all without any costs.

Family Healthy Living Program, hosted by Generation Health, is a free 10-week program at the West Shore Rec Centre that focuses on lifestyle rather than weight.

“Parents can’t set landmines or traps,” said Dr. Tom Warshawski, pediatrician and chair of the Childhood Obesity Foundation. “You can’t buy chips and say ‘Don’t eat it.’ I can’t even resist that, let alone a 10-year-old. You have to shop appropriately to succeed.”

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According to Warshawski, you don’t have to hit your ideal weight goal to have a healthy lifestyle. In the same way, you can hit an ideal weight but have an unhealthy lifestyle.

In fact, the program never talks about weight at all. Warshawski says families can kick start health resolutions by parents re-thinking food choices when they go grocery shopping.

Almost one-third of children and teens in B.C. are above a healthy weight. The program covers topics such as physical activity, healthy eating, parenting practices and mental health. It targets kids ages 8 through 12 who are above a healthy weight.

The free program starts on Thursday, Jan. 16 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and runs for 10 weeks every Thursday. Interested families can email info@generationhealth.ca, head over to generationhealth.ca/registration-contact/, call 1-888-650-3141 to sign-up.

aaron.guillen@goldstreamgazette.com


@iaaronguillen
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