First Lady Michelle Obama of United State’s began her fight against childhood obesity almost along with her husband, Barack Obama, sitting in office as US president. It started with the green veggies in the White House, which is a very small step. But now, the campaign turned into a combat waged against a problem that affects a whole nation of this new generation. It’s closely watching nutritional facts that are likely included to children’s diet, including packed goods, food served in schools, fast food, and those dished up by vending machines.

As the first lady has just started the big steps, ordinary people like us can do a measure of beneficial small steps now. Because whether obesity is won in a few years or continue for decades, the result will have to depend on how early is the response of the concerned individuals, parents and children alike. Our response will always be our responsibility. So if you’re a parent, what can you do to help your child start losing weight now? Be a responsible physician and dietician all at the same time. Imagine yourself like doctors in medical scrubs, and begin with small steps through exercise and healthy diet.

Take 5 small steps through fun exercise. (1) Make your children burn calorie by letting them play actively. They have natural desire for playing anyway. Invest on purchasing game sets that require physical activity. (2) Take them to the countryside to let them breath fresh air and enjoy the beauty of nature, while releasing a good deal of sweat. Hiking, biking and swimming sure will be fun. (3) Involve them in "real" exercise. A few minutes of jogging with the whole family and with their favorite pets will be enjoyable. (4) Boys will love it if they can help dad with painting the fence, and little girls should love helping mom in the garden. Make them help around the house. That way, the sun will make them pour some more calories out. (5) While they might not fully grasp the importance of losing weight through exercise, seeing the whole family enjoy it as regular activity should keep them in doing a good habit, so keep them company plus it will be an additional time for family bonding.

Take five small steps through a healthy diet. (1) Replace fatty foods with veggies as well as fruits in your refrigerator. Slowly remove fattening items from it. Your kids shouldn’t reach fatty foods so easily. (2) Day after day, make the dish served in smaller amounts. Their stomach must be trained to process smaller meals. Also reduce the amount of served snacks. (3) Don’t panic if they freak out simply for not eating their favorite burger from their favorite food chain. Reduce the frequency of paying McDonalds a visit. (4) Set proper time for eating and taking snacks, and eat with them as often as possible so you track their progress and determine which areas need adjustment and focus. (5) Explain to them the long term benefits of sticking to a healthy diet; visual aids will be a great help.

However being a good example is the best advice to every parent to avoid and prevent obesity. They’ll be motivated to continue with the new diet plan and exercise if they see their parents doing the same thing. You might not notice it, but you also get the best out of it. Wearing the lab coats yourself and taking those small steps are actually a big leap to keeping away from real doctors.