Why is our children's diet and exercise such a blind spot for most parents? Parents work so hard to give their kids every single advantage in life. They will go to PTA meetings, school plays, sports games. Parents will put in overtime and save for their kid's education to get them into the best schools and yet they forget that everything hinges on the health of their children. To insure a healthy future of their children parents need to start focusing and making healthy lifestyle changes. Here are 5 simple steps you can take.
1) Admit there is a problem
Click here to learn more about this very important step but if you are not sure, setup an appointment to have your kid checked out by a doctor to make the diagnosis.
2) Start by setting the example
80% of overweight children have overweight parents. Parents need to set the example because modifying your children's exercise and diet habits means changing the entire family's as well. Get your family active together, walk the dog, play frisbee, ride bicycles together or go rollerblading. Learn to use every public amenity at your disposal. Most communities have public parks with excellent trails, most have playgrounds and swimming pools. This will make it enjoyable and kids are 100% motivated by fun.
3) Bye bye junk food & soda pop
Go through your kitchen cupboards and pantry and get rid of junk food. Temptation often times can overpower personal will so if the junk food is not there you and the kids will not be able to eat it. Special sentence just for soda. The best thing you can do for your kids is to severly limit or totally remove soda's from their diet.
4) Using candy as a reward will leave a bad taste
Make it a habit not to reward good behavior with food. I know this can be hard at first but get creative alternatives that do not involve sweet treats. It's not about making your kids miserable because the occasionally ice cream treat is okay, but don't keep it in the house, go out for it instead. (it's more special this way) Remember there are other things your kid's value more than candy that you can use to reward good behavior.
5) Eat meals together
A Harvard study showed that families that ate family dinners together most or all days of the week were eating more healthfully and generally consumed higher amounts of important nutrients such as fiber, iron, calcium and vitamins while consuming less overall fat. Other studies have shown kids who frequently eat meals with their parents tend to do better in school as well.
Health and Happiness
Kenn Kihiu
http://www.dancexfitness.com/danceX4kids
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