High energy levels of children on this diet

[stephinoz]

Hello fellow parents

I have two children - 5 and nearly 8, one girl and one boy. I often laugh that my children came out running but I'm starting to wonder if their very high energy levels (which for me means often multiple daily outings to parks and various other "outlets"..I just can't get away with coming home after school for example and having quiet time.) While I know it's good for them, this need to provide so much time to exercise and run around feels like a heavy responsibility some days and it can be difficult to always organise outdoor "burn-offs".

Lately though I've been wondering if their high energies are in fact a really good thing and just a natural state of affairs for kids on a healthy diet. Perhaps we've actually forgotten what natural and healthy energy levels are for kids because the SAD makes kids lethargic.

So I'm wondering about your kids' energy levels - does anybody out there have the same experience?

[David Lux]

I also have 2 kids, aged 8 and 5, mainly on McD's diet and they are also full of energy. It's amazing to see our 8 yo on his gym class on Fri 6 pm, running and jumping all the time for one hour!
I thought it was like this for all kids...

[Tazi752000]

Mine has ADHD so he almost always has the high energy level so I have never really noticed any difference. He might actually be a little calmer now, but he's also a little older so it's hard to tell.

I can give you some hints on how to calm them down on days that you can't go burn off their energy running around outside. One thing to realize is that exercise actually makes us more energetic. It takes ALOT of exercise for people to actually get tired. And as soon as we eat we regain most of the energy because of the type of food we eat.

Some hints on calming them down for times you can't take them outside:

Turn the lights down and play soft music
Turn off electronics that are loud or energetic- instead give them a quiet movie, books, or something like a puzzle to play with.
Give them warm chamomile tea to drink
Feed them a warm heavy meal- like a hearty stew

[jamietwo]

My child is a bundle of energy! He spends a lot of time running, climbing, pedaling - you name it! He finds a lot of energetic and/or creative ways to spend his time!

[ETeSelle]

I think people today are used to kids being couch potatoes--in front of the TV eating fatty foods that make them sleepy. When I was a kid my mom KICKED us outside. Rain, snow--didn't matter. Suit up and GET OUT. We ran the neighborhood and only came home when the cowbell rang for dinner (lived in the city, but my mom had an antique cowbell that could be heard far and wide). I was very high energy and I'm sure I would have been put on Ritalin if it had been around in the 60s--thank god it wasn't! As it was, I was expelled from nursery school and was once kicked out of a 1st grade MUSIC class for DANCING (go figure--to music?? The nerve of me!).