Photo: donjd2, Flickr

So you have your mother's eyes and your father's nose -- but could your extra pounds be attributed to a parent, too?

Recent research has found a link between obesity and parents. Specifically, obese mothers were 10 times more likely to have obese daughters; similarly, obese fathers were six times more likely to have obese sons. But, like hair color, eyes and height, is obesity passed down through genes? Researchers think that's highly unlikely. Instead, they feel children are more likely to follow the behavior of their parent of the same sex.

You know how your kids are -- very little escapes their attention. Kids pick up on cues from their parents and, often, they glom on to the less-than-desirable habits. Most parents can recall a time when they let a swear word slip and the next thing they know, their toddler is repeating that word all over town. The same holds true for eating and exercise habits.

When you develop an active lifestyle that includes family-based exercise time, as well as solo exercise time (that your kids are aware of), you're setting a positive example for a lifetime of physical activity. Serving healthful meals and selecting nutritious snacks for yourself goes a long way, too. Not only are you giving your kids healthy foods -- they see that your personal choices are nutritious as well.

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It's tempting to use parenthood as an excuse not to exercise; after all, between work, school and family commitments, parents are pretty busy people. But with a little creativity, you can squeeze in some exercise every day ... even with kids in tow! Here's how:

• Make good use of the bike trailer: Cycling is great exercise, but tow 30-75 pounds of kid on your next ride and you'll immediately give that workout a boost. Plus, your kids will get some fresh air too.
• Rather than creep along beside kids who are old enough to ride on their own, ditch your wheels and jog next to them instead.
• Monkey around. Your kid can cross the monkey bars; why can't you?
• Have a new baby? Try sitting on your fitness ball while holding her. You'll strengthen your core muscles, and the bouncing motion might put her right to sleep.
• Squeeze in strength training whenever you can: Do one squat for every push you give your tot on the swing, do tricep dips on a park bench or walk laps around the shallow end of the pool while your kids swim.
• Never sit and watch at the playground. All that running, climbing and swinging is good for you too.
• Start a new tradition -- the family walk or bike ride -- and stick to it every day, before or after dinner.

If you're a parent, share your favorite ideas with us for staying fit while spending time with your kids.

There are many attachments you can hook to your bike so your little ones can come along for the fitness ride. Obviously, safety is the number one concern when looking at rolling devices for your kids. A different type of bike carrier hit Fit Pregnancy's Top 9 products of the year for its safety and versatility.

Rather than attaching to your regular bicycle, the Zigo Leader Carrier Bicycle is an all-in-one system. It can be a standard bike, you can use just the ChildPod as a jogging/walking stroller, or use the bike while carting your child safely in front.

What's more, the bicycle has added safety features, like the rear window that allows parents to view their child(ren) at all times and the front bumper crumple zone. While nifty, the bike doesn't come at a small price. It's priced at $1349 -- an awful hefty sum. But if you're an avid biker, it might be worth the investment.

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Loving parents want the best for their children -- health, happiness, contentment and success. So this story of a family in the UK whose daughter is battling an eating disorder broke my heart. What makes the situation worse is that the teenager blames her problems on her father, who is obese.

So often, as parents, we worry about the external forces that influence our kids. From TV shows, to dolls, to ads in magazines ... everything is a potential force that can sway our kids away from the values we'd like them to have. But the influences within our homes are even stronger. The examples we set -- with our health, our actions, our morals -- are more powerful than any external source.

The dad whose daughter has an eating disorder and blames it on him was obviously heartbroken. He loves his daughter and he wants her healthy and well. I hope, while recognizing that his habits did influence her, he realizes that her eating disorder isn't his fault. I so respect the way he's handling it, though. As his daughter is receiving treatment for her eating disorder, he's also seeking help for his obesity. While they're on opposite sides of the issue, I wish them both the best of luck on resolving their issues with food and getting to a healthy weight.

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Busy parents hit the ground running in the morning. But between kids, school, work, chores, and other obligations, they can have trouble finding time to do the kind of running they'd really love to do ... the kind that happens on a treadmill or a quiet trail.

Fitness may be one of the first things parents cut out of a busy schedule, but good health is important even when time is at a premium. Help the busy moms and dads in your life stay invested in their own personal health with these holiday fit gifts for busy parents on the go.

My son often begs for fruit snacks at the grocery store. Despite the hundreds of times I've told him otherwise, he still maintains that "they're fruit, so they're healthy!" Um ... no.

It turns out that my son isn't the only one confused by what actually counts as a serving of fruits or vegetables.
A recent British survey revealed lots of parents are confused as well. Some of the surprising results:

• One in 10 believed Jaffa Cakes (a cookie-like treat made with sponge cake, orange jelly, and chocolate) counted as a fruit.
• One in five believed orange squash (a sweetened, orange-flavored drink) counted as a fruit.
• One in five believed Spaghetti Hoops (like Spaghetti-O's) counted as a vegetable.
• One in 20 thought oranges and bananas didn't count as fruits.
• 15 percent of British parents don't believe it's their job to teach their kids about nutrition.

Wow. And though it's sad to say, I think a survey in North America would have similar results. Check out the gallery for some potentially confusing items.

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Got a picky kid? You might even have a picky spouse! Knowing the right ways to help your family members become healthy eaters isn't easy. Every person is different, so hitting on that one solution is always a tough one.

So it's a good thing the New York Times is telling us about six food mistakes that parents make. If we see ourselves in some of these, then we'll know where to start.

Join me after the jump to read about the six mistakes and my take on them.

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I'm a bit of a sucker for memoirs. I even read A Million Little Pieces after James Frey was deemed a fraud. (He's still working, by the way. No such thing as bad press, right?) I just finished The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan.

Jacki Donaldson read and posted about the book a while back. But I read it after a new friend of mine recommended it. She recently went through the excruciating experience of losing her mother to ALS while living an airplane ride apart. I am currently going through the same thing.

The Middle Place instead involves dealing with cancer, but the themes involving parent-child relationships, distance, disease, and faith are the same. Kelly, who survived her cancer, struggles with all of it, but particularly faith. She is baffled by the Buddhist truth of detachment, "even to people." She still struggles with faith to this day, several years later. I struggle with it a bit as well and I suspect all of us do to some degree. It's the very nature of faith, after all. It's transparent, intangible.

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No one likes to hear bad things about their child. But what if it's the truth ... and their health depends on it?

What I'm talking about, of course, is your child's weight. Studies show that of parents of overweight kids, only 39% recognized that their child was overweight while 61% believed their child was a normal weight. But should parents be told the truth about their child's weight? Some believed that telling the parents could have adverse consequences. Until now, that is. Experts are finally agreeing that it's not harmful to be honest when it comes to such a weighty subject.

It's about time, if you ask me. Parents should know that their kids face potentially fatal health risks if they don't change their habits. But that's just my opinion -- what do you think?

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Quite a few years ago, a friend of mine had breast augmentation surgery. Nothing outlandish -- in fact, you could barely notice a difference. She just wanted to restore herself to the nicely-filled B cup she was before her pregnancies. She said that after her pregnancies and the subsequent years of breast feeding, she had "deflated." (Her words, not mine.) As a result, she felt self-conscious and didn't even like to wear t-shirts because she didn't feel good about herself.

Post-surgery she had two young kids that wanted their mom to lift them and play with them like she always did. She kept the explanation simple and just told them that mommy had an "owie" and wouldn't be able to lift them up for a while. When Jacki had her tummy tuck, she also had to find an age-appropriate way to explain her surgery to her young kids.

It can be scary for kids to see their parents hurting. And plastic surgery -- where a parent might end up looking a little different than they did before -- can be even scarier. A plastic surgeon has written a book called "My Beautiful Mommy" to help explain plastic surgery to kids in a positive, non-frightening, and age-appropriate manner.

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This weekend my son and I are going on a vacation. While we're staying in a cabin, we'll be spending most of our time outdoors -- at the beach, sand dunes, nature trails, and hiking paths. Both my son and I love to explore and check out what nature has to offer. A new web portal, Andy Camper, is all about outdoor adventures for kids.

The site offers dozens of how-to videos for kids; from geocaching to watching the stars. The site aims to get kids excited about the outdoors and to reconnect them with nature through fun, engaging ideas and activities.

My son is really into bugs right now (except spiders... they freak him out). Tonight, we're going to make this cool water viewer to help us look for bugs and other critters in the lake this weekend. Check it out! You're sure to find fun activities for you and your kids whether you're heading out on a special outdoor adventure, or just want to do some exploring in your own backyard.

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I don't like school buses. It's mainly because of the lack of seat belts. But I also wonder why, in an age of childhood obesity becoming too common and people of all ages not getting enough exercise, parents don't walk their kids to school more often when it's a reasonable distance from home. Certainly, time is a factor for many who are struggling to get on the road in order to make it on time to work. But for the rest who don't have to work for money or work from home, this is a big opportunity to develop good habits.

My neighbors and I were just talking the other day about raising kids who are physically fit and finding ways to fit exercise into their lives. One of them said, "All I care is that they learn to make a habit of moving around for 30 minutes a day for the rest of their lives."

I actually timed out the walk to and from the local elementary school a while back. My kid is just short of 3 years old, so we've got some time before this is an issue. Still, I was curious. Low and behold, it's 30 minutes, round-trip.

Of course another neighbor pointed out the social aspect of the bus and how they would miss out on going to school with all their friends. I've been thinking about it. And I've been getting this image in my mind of a big parade of kids, parents in tow, walking down the street to school with their hearts pumping. It could happen.

It's spring and in my Northern Virginia neighborhood that means kids and parents are hitting the playgrounds again. Kids are flocking to swings and slides while parents, mostly moms, sit on benches and gossip, read or do some crafty thing with their hands. Well, here's a novel idea. Get up and get moving with your kids because it's a good chance to get some exercise.

My daughter often yells, "Your turn, Mommy!" after her spins on the slides. Climbing the steps and going down the slide over and over has got to be worth something. Then she runs over to the swings and I run after her. Then I push her hard because she wants to go "super high." At one of the bigger, more elaborate playgrounds there's a zip cord. And it's a big hit. My little one isn't quite big enough or strong enough to do it herself, so I prop her up on one arm and run back and forth with her holding on. Believe me, it's a workout.

So put away the phone, reading material and knitting and shut your trap and get moving next time you take a trip to the playground with your kids. You'll be the "cool mom" in your kids' eyes and your body will thank you.

All those talk shows that host the "Who's Your Daddy?" episodes are soon to be out of commission. (What was with all of those anyway, Maury Povich?) Meijer and Rite Aid stores are going to start stocking low-cost paternity tests. I can't imagine there's a huge market for such an item, but the manufacturer, Identigene, feels that there are people that would like to solve paternity disputes quietly and economically -- without involving lawyers.

The kits retails for $29.99. They include cotton swabs for taking cell samples from inside the mouth. The swabs are then sealed and sent to a lab with an additional $119 processing fee. Results can be accessed online within three to five business days.

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