Does Parenting Make you Unhealthy?

It might be obvious. The stressful, hectic schedule that often goes with parenting is not always best for your health, according to a study by the University of Minnesota Medical School released this week.

The study by the university's Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, which appeared in the journal Pediatrics on Monday, looked at whether parenthood affects dietary and physical fitness, specifically for those who have children 5 years old or younger.

It examined whether parenthood negatively impacted eating and exercise habits, and made parents more prone to obesity.

As a parent of young kids, I found myself asking, "They needed a study to tell them this?"

Ask many moms in the Starbucks line more days than they care to admit, or guzzling a diet Coke at 3 p.m. to make it until bedtime, or getting into the stash of their kids’ reward M&Ms (again), and yes, you will find out that parenting young children affects your dietary habits.

Let’s not even talk about getting the same level of exercise as you did pre-kids—that’s just laughable.

The study’s findings showed that moms in particular were negatively impacted, whereas dads didn’t experience too much of a change.

Moms consumed about 400 more calories than their non-mom counterparts, and were heavier, with a body mass index reading about one point higher.

The excess calories came from increased consumption of sugary beverages and drink mixes, and from eating some portion of their children’s food, which on average contains more calories and fat.

When it came to exercise, moms got less overall physical activity than those without children, about 50 minutes less of moderate to vigorous physical exercise, which aids in losing weight and maintaining cardiovascular health.

Dads reported getting about the same amount of physical activity as they did pre-children, but less moderate to vigorous exercise.

Another significant aspect of this study is that it studied young adults, 25 years old.

Based on the study’s results for that age group, the picture is probably worse for parents who are older because physical factors associated with aging start to present challenges to their health. 

So aside from being a reminder that you may get gray hair and added weight from raising children, what else can we take away from this study?

Looking around, I see a lot of local moms who seem to buck the trend this study documented. Many of them said their best tip is to prioritize your health.

The moms in my experience who succeed in fighting off the excess pounds say that they schedule their time to exercise just as they would schedule their kids for an activity or class.

Or, if they struggle with kid–free time, they include their kids in healthy activities such as biking, hiking, etc., that give the whole family a good workout.

When it comes to food, they try to serve more healthy foods and resist the urge to cater to a picky palate. They also remove the temptation of bad snacks by replacing them with better options.

No question about it, it's harder to stay fit managing the demands of very young children, but it can be done, and the study's authors say that it needs to be done to disrupt the kinds of unhealthful behaviors that contribute to the increasing number of obesity-related illnesses in the country.