For Maria, the realization came when she went to pick her children up from a weight management summer program, prescribed by their pediatrician. She looked around, and noticed that 85 percent to 90 percent of the camp parents were overweight as well. It dawned on her: “How could I be a positive role model for my girls and ask them to eat healthier and get moving if I wasn’t myself?”

Like many of the other parents, Maria struggled with her weight, making the right nutrition choices, and getting physical activity. She had known for a long time on some level that she needed to change. But it was her children that ultimately motivated her to make that change. Her commitment to their well-being helped her make changes in her own life to become healthier.

Kicking it up with kids