One of the greatest concerns that parents have relates to raising healthy children. You not only want your children to be healthy while they are kids, but you want them to develop healthy habits that will help them maintain a healthy lifestyle long after they leave your house. This can seem overwhelming, but there are simple steps you can take to help promote this kind of healthy lifestyle for your children.
Fruits and Veggies
Consuming five servings of fruits and veggies each day is incredibly important for your heart and helps protect against obesity and cancer. Liking to eat healthy food is not something that often comes naturally because we are drawn to sugary foods when we are young. Helping your children learn to like fruits and vegetables is important.
When small children (or even older children) reject healthy foods, most of the time, it is due to the food being new and unfamiliar instead of an honest dislike. Offering a wide variety of foods on a daily basis and not giving up on a particular food when it is rejected a couple of times will help them feel comfortable enough to branch out.
It turns out how you nourish your child is a journey that doesn't end until, well.... never. Your influence may wane, but your desire to ensure your child makes smart, healthy choices won't.
Hand Washing
The transfer of germs from our hands to our mouths is the most common way that illnesses spread. Learning to wash our hands frequently and effectively is an important part of leading a healthy lifestyle. Children explore and touch so many things; they come into a wide range of possible issues when it comes to germ transference. Wiping down surfaces in your home frequently like door handles and light switches is important, but it is equally important to teach your children to have clean hands.
Encourage and Active Lifestyle
Children are naturally active, so it is important to encourage that activity, so it does not die down and lead to a more sedentary lifestyle. You can encourage a healthy and active lifestyle by doing active things together as a family. Going on walks or hikes, bike rides, and other outdoor activities as a family will help you grow closer together and keep you healthy.
You should also encourage your children to find areas of interest that are active on an individual level. This may be a sports team, learning to dance, martial arts, or other forms of physical activity. Encouraging them in their interests will help them to stay active and like exercising instead of growing to detest it.
Doctor Visits
It is also important to take your children to regular doctor visits. You can find a good family doctor at https://southwestcare.org/ or other websites if you don’t have one already. Going to see the doctor is important for many reasons. It is a good way to ask questions about their health to make sure they are growing and developing in a healthy way. It is also a good way to catch a problem before it becomes a real issue and seek treatment. Regularly seeing a doctor can help you stay accountable for your health and give you a goal for establishing new healthy habits.
BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY, LET ME ASK YOU A FEW QUESTIONS:
- IS FEEDING YOUR CHILD A MAJOR BATTLE THAT HAPPENS EVERY 4-5 HOURS?
- LOOKING FOR SOME HELP GETTING YOUR KIDS TO EAT THEIR VEGETABLES?
- WANT YOUR KIDS TO TRY NEW FOODS WILLINGLY?
- WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE ABLE TO SIT DOWN AS A FAMILY FOR DINNER?
If you answered YES to any of these questions you may want to take it one step further and check out the STRONG BODIES, STRONG MINDS online course:
In This Course You Will Learn:
What expectations are realistic as it pertains to what your child is capable of and needs to eat.
How to encourage your child to try new foods.
How to effectively avoid and manage challenging behaviors when it comes to your child eating and being a participant at the family table.
A fundamental understanding of the division of responsibilities between you and your child when it comes to eating and feeding.
How to meal plan using age-appropriate portions.
