Teaching children about health and nutrition can be hard – check out my #1 tip for creating healthy habits for kids that will last and how you can raise healthy children!
It’s no secret that children today are among the unhealthiest they’ve ever been. The lack of physical activities and popularity of sedentary entertainment like video games does not make it easy to raise healthy children or create healthy habits for kids.
Children today spend an average of 6.5 hours a day in front of screens! That is A LOT of time, especially when you factor in the 10 hours/night that they are sleeping and 7 hours/day they are in school (with very little time for recess). Basically, their entire day is spent sitting, and un-active.
It’s no wonder there is an obesity epidemic among our children!
The current recommendation is that all children should get AT LEAST an hour (60 minutes) of physical activity each day.
But, if you do the math from above, you’ll quickly realize that the average child is spending so much time on screens that there isn’t an hour left in their day to get that exercise!
I see the question come up often – “I want my child to be active, what can I do?” or “how do I teach my child to be healthy?”
Parents WANT to do right by their kids and create healthy habits for them but they just don’t know where to start. We all want our children to be healthy, eat healthy, and grow up strong and without avoidable illnesses.
The true answer is easier than you might think. There is a guaranteed way to create healthy habits for your kids that will last a lifetime without forcing them to do anything! This simple change can set the stage for your children to be healthy and make healthy choices for the rest of their lives.
They follow our lead
Have you ever overheard your child repeating something you said word for word?
Have you ever watched your child pack up a suitcase or backpack with papers and pretend they were going to work?
Have you every watched your daughter put on your pearls and high-heels and pretend she was dressing up like mommy?
Our children mimic every little thing that we do – the good AND the bad.
Unfortunately, the obesity epidemic and our unhealthy lifestyles aren’t just a problem for our children – they are a problem for us as well.
#1 Tip for Creating Healthy Habits for Kids
Since our children are watching us and mimicking everything that we do then the #1 for teaching kids about healthy lifestyles is a no-brainer.
If your children see YOU eating right, working out, and making healthy lifestyle choices – they will too! You don’t have to force your children to do anything, you just need to show them the way.
Making healthy eating choices for yourself and talk to them about how you are fueling your body with the proper nutrition. If what they see you eating everyday is junk food, that is what they will want to eat too – your children will eat healthy foods if they see you eating them too.
Be active – start a home workout program and let them see you working hard to build muscle and gain strength and endurance. You will set an example for them of what a healthy lifestyle looks like and they might even join in!
Together as a family take a neighborhood walk, go to the park, or play a game in the yard.
Healthy Mom, Healthy Kids
Whatever they see you doing is what they are going to imitate – so make the decision to change your life, to change their lives.
“The most important work you will ever do will be within the walls of your home”
You might also like: The Best Home Workout Program for busy moms
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