Training Children to Be Healthy

With the noted rising annual obesity levels among children, it is increasingly becoming important to teach your children to be healthy more than ever. Kids who are obese and overweight are more likely to contract illnesses like diabetes and heart problems. Being overweight or obese is not a healthy condition for a child, and it is extremely difficult for children to overcome this problem on their own. When the child becomes mature enough to decide and face the problem, their eating and activity habits may have already been well-ingrained that they end up spending most of their lives struggling to break the pattern.

As a parent, it is very important that you set an example for your children when it comes to being healthy. Eating healthy food should be the rule while fast foods, cake and candy are only exceptions which can be enjoyed on occasions. If they are not in the cupboard, they can’t tempt you or the children.

Be sure that the consumption of fatty foods are minimized while encouraging your children to eat more fresh fruit and vegetables, lean meat and poultry, and wholegrain carbohydrates. If you set a standard of serving healthy meals to the whole family, anything unhealthy becomes an exception. Physical activity is an important part of a healthy lifestyle – encourage your children to be active, even if it is just throwing a ball around the yard. Skipping, hopping and running are activities that are easily blended into various games. Teach your child ‘old-fashioned’ games like hop-scotch, tag and handball to encourage them to engage in physical activity. Once they start playgroup or pre-school, there may be organized activities and sports that they can take part in. Tell them how active you were during your younger days by showing old photos of mom in her cheerleading outfit or of dad playing football.

Just as you should read to, with and front of your child to encourage them to read, you should do the same with physical activity. Play with them, support them when they take part in sport or other physical activities, and set an example by exercising yourself.

Remember to keep the emphasis on health not on being thin or losing weight. Your children need to appreciate that a balanced and healthy lifestyle is better for everyone in the family. Parents stand to gain a lot from being fit and healthy because aside from feeling better they will also be able to lead a better quality way of life to enjoy with their children and even grandchildren.

As parents it is our duty to teach our children as best we can. Even though there is no definitive guide to parenting, keeping your family healthy would be well worth the effort. Don’t give in to your kids when they ask you for the same privilege as their friends who are allowed by their parents to eat whatever they like. Explain to them that what the other kids are eating are actually not very healthy foods. Teach your children to be healthy from day one you won’t regret it.

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