Another great read, and award winning book, is The Portly Princess of Thynneland, by Kathleen Marie Marsh.  In the Kingdom of Thynneland, everyone, including the royal family, must maintain their weight and fitness levels or be banished to the “Hinterland.”  Princess Volumina, the pampered daughter of the King and Queen, becomes obese and, at 18, is sent to the Hinterland to lose weight.  Not only does she face a difficult personal challenge, but discovers that her father’s kingdom is in danger of collapsing and that his advisors had failed to warn him.  Banned from Thynneland until she can meet her weight and fitness goals, and fearing the imminent threat of famine and starvation to the kingdom, Princess Volumina has to do something before time runs out.  Order through your local book store or online at healthykidscatalog.com.

by Bev Grey, tells the story of Kevin, a sixth grader, who is struggling withweight and everything that goes along with it, including rejection from other students and low self-esteem.  He suggests to his health class that they make healthy weight loss and improved energy the subject of their year long class project.  The amazing results of the project makes for a happy and healthy ending.  Order through your local book store or online at healthykidscatalog.com.

Even if your school provides healthy options, it can be too easy to give in to temptation and pick a less healthy choice when you're feeling really hungry.  Or, you can be waiting in the lunch line only to find when you get to the front that you don’t like what they’re serving or the “healthy” option is no longer available.  So you reach for pizza again.   How do you take control? Take a packed lunch to school!  That lets you control exactly what goes into the food you eat.  Whether you pack or eat in the cafeteria, what’s important is that you make healthy choices. If you're concerned that your cafeteria doesn't offer enough healthy choices, get involved in trying to make changes. Ask a teacher or someone in food service for advice on how to get started.

Several studies have proven that there is a direct connection between being overweight and getting too little sleep. Kids and teens usually need 9-10 hours of sleep each night, so turn off your cell phone and TV, computer and DS … and go to bed!