Have a Healthy Body

Portion Distortion

Check out how much portion sizes have grown over the past 20 years.  The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute has developed two portion distortion quizzes to check out your knowledge on portion sizes. 

http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/portion/portion.cgi?action=question&number=1

http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/portion/portion2.cgi?action=question&number=1

What’s the right weight for me?

This is a great article about what’s a healthy weight for you.  It also let’s you calculate your BMI (body mass index) which can help you figure out if your weight is healthy for your body. 

Remember all bodies are good bodies.  If you want to change your weight, talk to your parent, an adult that you trust, your doctor or your school nurse for healthy tips.  Check more information on this website and some of the other websites we have listed in our Fun Stuff section to eat healthy, move more, and feel good!

http://kidshealth.org/kid/talk/qa/fat_thin.html

How to deal with teasing

Being teased is one of the toughest parts of growing up.  Having the right response next time you are teased can be very helpful.  How to deal with teasing is one of the tools that you learn at KidShape.  

Here are a few ideas on how to handle any type of teasing that may come your way.  Practice using all of these responses and see which feels the best to you.  You should try rehearsing these and discuss them with close friends and/or family.  

When using any of these responses remember:

o    Stay calm - avoid whining

o    Look you teaser in the eye when you give them your comeback line

o    Speak up when you talk to the kids teasing you

Teasing Responses:

1.    Say “So?” “So?…Whatever.” “So?…Who cares.” “So?…And your point is?”

2.    Question it. “Why would you say that?” “Why would you want to tell me I am dumb or fat or whatever and hurt my feelings?”

3.    Agree. “You’ve got that right.” “One hundred percent correct!” “Bingo, you win!” “People say that a lot about me.”

4.    Send a Strong “I Want” message. “I want you to leave me alone” or “I want you to stop teasing me.” The trick is to say the message firmly so that it doesn’t sound wimpy.

5.    Turn it into a compliment. “Hey, thanks. I appreciate that!” “That was really nice of you to notice.” “Thanks for the compliment.”

6.    Use manners. “Thanks.” “Thank you for that comment.” “I appreciate that.” but say it so it sounds sincere and then turn and walk away.

7.    Use sarcasm. “Like I would care?” “Give me a break.” “Oh, that’s just great.” The “look” has to match: rolling your eyes and walking away can do the trick. This works usually only for older kids who understand sarcasm.

8.    Ignore it. Walk away without even a look at the teaser, pretend the teaser is invisible, glance at something else and laugh, look completely uninterested or pretend you don’t hear it. This one works best if your child has a tougher time delivering verbal comebacks. It works best in places where your child can escape his teasers such as on a park or playground. It doesn’t work in closed quarters such on a school bus or cafeteria table. Also see Too Sensitive.

How do you know which technique is the best way to handle the teaser? Unfortunately, there is no easy way. You may have to try all of the techniques to see which one works best with any particular person or type of teasing. Over time, you will develop a "feel" for which technique will work best in any particular situation.