Grand Magazine - July/August 2008 - (Page 38)

Live longand By micheLLe Briseno-Tucker How we can razzle-dazzle our grandchildren to live healthy, balanced lives S ome of us share significant responsibilities for our grandchildren with their parents—or we are the stand-in parents—and still, we are meant to also occupy the laid-back role of spoilers. We enjoy lavishing our grandchildren with the little extras and treats. But here’s where things get dicey. When we take indulgence too far—by serving food as affection and passive entertainment, we’re encouraging our grandchildren to overeat and to be inactive. And when we consistently shrug off exercise and live as couch potatoes, the message is doubly reinforced. The reality is, whether we like it or not, when we assume the title of grandparent we simultaneously become influential role models about health. And when we ritually (or exhaustedly) allow the children to hunker down beside us in front of the TV along with cookies, buttered popcorn and sugary drinks, we’re ensuring they will inherit a legacy of poor health and potential obesity. So, here’s the deal: Even if our stair-stepping machine currently functions as a clothes rack and being a health nut isn’t our thing, it has to be, because we have a duty as influential role models to teach our grandchildren how to live healthy lives. The World Health Organization defines health as a “state of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” In other words, health means balance. At the root of all our desires is our desire for our grandchildren to survive—to live to see their own grandchildren. We want them to enjoy being on the planet, and we know it’s easier to celebrate being alive when our bodies feel good. We can show our grandchildren how to live balanced, healthy lives by replacing sedentary TV viewing (including video games) with physical activities, eating wholesome foods, taking time to relax and getting enough sleep. 38 GRAND JULY AUGUST 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Grand Magazine - July/August 2008

Grand Magazine - July/August 2008
Contents
Grand View: Love Is All That's Left
Isn't It Grand?: Reassessing the Postponed Life
Grand Central
Just So We Know: One Mixed-Up Lemon
Long-Distance Love: Cuttings
Ask Grand: Stuck on Stuff
Grand Gestures: "Thanks for the Ugly Gift"
Tips on Teens: All That Doesn't Meet the Eye
Live Long and Propser
On the Cover: Peter Yarrow
Presents of Mine
Thicker Than Water?
Reunions: White Water, White Knuckles
The Grand Gourmet
So We Are Not Alone
Looking Grand: Suit-Able
Grandbloggers: Why Watch TV When We Can Talk?
Grand Bazaar
Resources
Grand Finale: What Boat

Grand Magazine - July/August 2008