Grabbing take-out on the way home on hectic weekdays can be tempting until that’s all your kids want to eat. But on the other hand, some benefits of eating healthy are that it helps stabilize moods, improves focus and academics, and maintains energy levels. So while teaching your child to make wise nutritional choices is the top priority for health, how do you get your kids to adopt healthy habits for other aspects of life? The following guide shared by Honest Reviews Online has some tips you can use.
Eating Right for a Happier Life
One way you can get kids to make healthy choices is to take them shopping with you and let them choose which nutritious foods they’d like. Food items such as a fruit-and-nut trail mix are much healthier than a bag of chips, and iced herbal tea sweetened with a touch of honey is a suitable replacement for sodas and energy drinks. In addition, making cooking a family activity is an excellent way to build healthy habits and spend quality time together.
Encouraging Exercise in Your Kids’ Lives
Spending time romping in the park provides sufficient exercise for younger children. However, children over age 8 are averaging five to seven hours staring at screens daily. So how do you get your kids unglued from the boob tube if they don’t participate in sports? After dinner, take a stroll around the neighborhood together. Instead of dropping the kids off at school or a friend’s house, let them bike or skateboard there. Family hikes on the weekends are a great way to take in the view as you exercise.
Sticking to a Schedule
Creating and maintaining schedules is a vital part of helping your child lead a healthy lifestyle. Schedules provide children with structure and help them understand how to manage their time efficiently. Having a schedule allows children to pace themselves and plan ahead, allowing them to prioritize their health-related activities such as physical exercise, healthy eating habits, and avoiding any potentially harmful habits such as substance abuse. Schedules also provide kids with an understanding that health-related activities can be fun while keeping them accountable to finish tasks they have committed to in a timely fashion. By setting up and following through on effective schedules together, parents are teaching their children the importance of making health-focused decisions for the long term rather than short-term gratification.
Creating and following through with a personalized schedule is key to helping your children maintain a healthy lifestyle. There are many online tools parents can use to help create an effective schedule for their children, such as calendars and scheduling apps. Researching sites that specialize in making schedules could also be helpful; this site could be helpful in providing templates and support in creating an individualized plan that fits each person’s specific needs and interests.
A Healthy House Makes a Healthy Home
It’s imperative to your family’s health to keep your house clean by dusting and cleaning all surfaces and ensuring there’s no clutter. Don’t let dishes pile up in the sink, and use non-synthetic bins and containers by the door to store backpacks. Take your shoes off at the entrance to keep dirt from tracking in. Instilling clean habits now will influence your child in adulthood. Houseplants promote clean air and lend a pleasant aesthetic. Finally, install a water filter to reduce minerals and metals in your child’s drinking water.
Also, don’t forget this: Assigning chores is an effective way to ensure that everyone in the household is doing their part to maintain a clean and healthy environment. Establishing a chore chart and assigning realistic tasks to each member of the house provides order and ensures that no one is being overworked or taken advantage of. Set expectations for how often these assigned chores need to be done, such as weekly or bi-weekly, and provide rewards to incentivize completing them on time. Over time, this practice will help you create a safe and sanitary living environment for your family while teaching valuable life lessons about responsibility and discipline.
Guide Them To Say No to Drugs and Alcohol
As children grow, the guidance provided by their parents is essential in helping them develop healthy behaviors and make good decisions. Studies have shown that up to 80% of kids aged 10-18 credit their parents for being the primary influence for why they abstain from consuming drugs and alcohol. Parents should foster ongoing communication at an early age so that their children can feel comfortable coming to them for advice and support when facing difficult situations. While it may be challenging to talk about something as serious as drugs and alcohol with your child, it’s important to remain open and honest with them so that they understand that you are there to help guide them toward making the best possible choices. By providing education, understanding, and support, parents can confidently lead their children into a safe, healthy, and substance-free future.
Teach Them To Avoid Caffeine
The CDC reports that approximately 71% of children consume some form of caffeine each day. Caffeine consumption in children adversely affects sleep, blood pressure, and the central nervous system. Due to its physiological effects, caffeine is considered a drug. Talk to your child about the adverse effects of sodas and energy drinks. They have no nutritional value and can cause headaches during withdrawal.
Healthy Choices Are a Family Matter
Eating the right kinds of foods, staying active, and avoiding drugs should be the basis for any lifestyle that prioritizes health and wellbeing. Creating healthy habits requires parental involvement and setting a good example – families can work together to make nutritious meals at home, engage in regular physical activities as a family unit, and participate in conversations about the dangers of drug abuse. Additionally, children learn more effectively when they are directly included in the decision-making process. Taking them grocery shopping or providing choices between healthy snacks all helps cultivate better decisions throughout their lives. Parents who take the time to inform their children of the risks associated with drugs and alcohol use while emphasizing healthier alternatives will be instilling invaluable life skills that will help them create positive, lifelong habits for themselves.
