Kids today are gaining more weight, are susceptible to more stress, and are connecting less. What's worse, each of these problems can result in declining health, whether that's an unhealthy weight or an unhealthy attitude about exercise, food, and body image. So where can parents find a whole-person approach that will help them raise healthy kids? Look no further. Healthy Habits, Happy Kids, by health and fitness expert Gregory L. Jantz, shows parents how they can provide a balanced, caring environment by addressing the emotional, relational, physical, and spiritual needs of their children. In four parts, Jantz shows parents how to help their kids SOAR--how to create an environment where kids are supported, optimistic, active/achieving, and responsible. All parents who want to raise healthy kids will want to read this book.
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2.0 out of 5 stars
Getting off the ground with SOAR!!!,
By Anthony Centore Ph.D. "Anthony Centore Ph.D." (www.ThriveBoston.com (Cambridge, MA)) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Healthy Habits, Happy Kids: A Practical Plan to Help Your Family (Paperback)
Though the title is unspecific, additional information helps the would-be reader determine the focus of Dr. Gregory Jantz's new book. On the cover are bananas, an apple, a pineapple, a baseball mitt, a baseball, a soccer ball, and these three bold-bulleted points:Get Moving Trim Down Stay Fit Moreover, the back cover states, "Despite what your children may think, fast-food French fries are not a vegetable, a balanced meal is not found in their school's vending machine, and activity is important. Because of poor nutrition decisions, kids today are gaining weight.... This whole-person approach to staying fit considers not only the physical health of your kids but also their emotional, relational, and spiritual health." With these descriptors, it is apparent Dr. Gregory Jantz--and assisting author Ann McMurray--are setting out to take a "whole-person approach" to health and physical fitness, or are they? Getting off the Ground with SOAR Using a "whole-person approach," Dr. Jantz's mission is to help kids SOAR. That is, to help kids grow up in an environment in which they are Supported, Optimistic, Active and Achieving, and Responsible. Though acronyms can be useful, sometimes they just don't work. For instance, SOAR (which should really be SOAAR) is awkwardly used as both noun and verb, as in SOAR-ing above circumstance and "support is what gets SOAR off the ground!"1 What's more, with the SOAR-ing theme, God is oddly referred to as the "air traffic controller", and the chapters are set up to spell the word SOAR, though they really spell "PSOAARRRRSS!!!" Support and Leadership The book begins by giving solid advice about how to, and how not to, provide support to others. For example, good supporters implement a combination of verbal encouragement, being an example for modeling, providing stability and love, and showing acceptance. Poor supporters include the "mood motivator" (who provides support only when in the mood), the "born-again bully" (who promotes change by intimidation), and the "seesaw supporter" (who waxes and wanes in his/her support). Physical Activity However, when child health issues are discussed (chapter 4), Dr. Jantz writes, "When I was growing up, my mother stayed at home in order to raise me and my sister. We played out in the neighborhood with the other children, most of whose mothers were also home. We rode our bikes, often outside the neighborhood and into town. We walked, ran, climbed, and rode scooters and skateboards."2 Jantz contents that kids today don't play outside because they are (a) "latchkey" kids, and because (b) their parents (who are not home?) are afraid to let them outside. Though these claims might be accurate, no sources are made available for support. Dr. Jantz writes that children should be more active. In recommending physical activity, he states, "Children should have at least an hour of physical activity each and every day after school and at least two hours a day on the weekends. This activity time should be highly physical and involve cardiovascular exercise, such as biking, running, skateboarding, ice skating, roller skating, or swimming."3 Again, the time recommendations presented lack empirical support, and the reader is given little to contextualize what constitutes "highly physical," seeing 60 minutes of running vastly differs from an hour of skateboarding, or even roller skating (rollerblading, anyone?). Bodyweight & Nutrition When addressing bodyweight, Dr. Jantz writes, "... your primary care physician can be a wonderful partner to help you track your child's body weight and growth progress."4 No specifics are given; no guidance on what a healthy weight might look like, or on how to calculate the body mass index (though BMI growth charts are presented as appendices). However, in the chapter titled "Responsible for My Body," Jantz writes that food is like fuel and we "need to use the right type of fuel." He asks, "What happens when the fuel you put into the car is the wrong type or dirty or of poor quality? It "becomes gummed up and doesn't operate properly."5 What is the right fuel? Without specifying caloric intake, or ratios of fat-to-carbohydrates-to-protein, and without considering a child's age, Jantz recommends fruits and vegetables, lean meats, dairy (none specifically), whole grains, vitamins and minerals (none specifically), and that we "Drink water--growing bodies need lots of clean, pure water."6 How much water? Lots, and make sure it's not contaminated. Citing your Source Admitting some bias, having just read the book Freakonomics, which comments about parenting advice-- "...Conventional wisdom on parenting seems to shift by the hour... Breast feeding, for example, is the only way to guarantee a healthy and intellectually advanced child--unless bottle feeding is the answer. A baby should always be put to sleep on her back--until it is decreed she should only be put to sleep on her stomach. Eating liver is either a) toxic, or b) imperative for brain development. Spare the rod and spoil the child; spank the child and go to jail."7 --I was looking for more than an "armchair" approach to the topic of health and nutrition for kids. Specifically, I was hoping the author would cite some research to give merit to his claims (e.g., including: "Unfortunately, in most school environments currently, often a school lunch doesn't resemble anything remotely nutritious," and "in many high schools around the country PE is considered an `elective'"). But in the end, the book contains not even a single reference! The content seems to be limited to conventional wisdom and Dr. Jantz's experience over the years. Conclusion Dr. Jantz is a highly respected professional and often a prolific writer, but something went wrong with this book. From its marketing (e.g., "Get Moving, Trim Down, Stay Fit"), I speculate the publisher wanted a physical fitness book, perhaps even one that takes a "whole-person approach to staying fit." But the final product is an assortment of advice on sibling rivalry, academic achievement, "spiritual activity," social isolation, learning styles, and other issues that prevent a clear focus. Moreover, the chapters are disorganized, and the writing lacks clarity and interest. This is surprisingly disappointing, especially considering the partnership with a professional writer (Ann McMurray). I don't like giving a negative review, but I don't see this book getting families to SOAR. If families are airplanes, they might begin to taxi, but they will need much more to gain the speed that will have them take flight. Final note: Telephone and Online Counseling might be a good way to help struggling parents. Learn to provide telephone and online counseling with this exceptional book: The Therapist's Clinical Guide to Online Counseling and Telephone Counseling: The Definitive Training Guide for Clinical Practice
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