As a parent, you want the best for your child. You want them to be successful, and enjoy a fun and fulfilling childhood. Above all, you want to ensure they are healthy. Unfortunately, many children are not as healthy as they could be, and some struggle with their weight from a young age. In fact, childhood obesity is on the rise in many countries around the world.
During their early years, it is up to you to guide them in the right direction and give them the tools and knowledge to be healthy and active. They can’t do it on their own, so they rely on you for support. With that in mind, here are a few ways to help your child be more healthy and active – in childhood, and for life.
Ways To Help Your Children Be More Healthy and Active
Make Sure the Activity Is Fun
It was once commonplace for children to play and be active for fun. In recent decades, however, technology has taken over, and many children now prefer sitting on the couch watching TV or playing video games to playing outside. As you can imagine, all of this time spent on the couch instead of being active has led to children being unhealthy. It is up to you as a parent to encourage them to be more active.
Perhaps the best way to encourage children to be active is to ensure the activity is fun. For example, getting a nice large 14-foot trampoline in your yard will certainly encourage your children to spend hours having fun jumping up and down.
You could also help them play sports, teach them outdoor games, play tag, or introduce them to dozens of other fun types of physical activity to keep them active. If the children have fun doing something, they will not notice they are also getting fit and staying healthy.
Provide Them With Healthy Eating Options
Diet is an incredibly important part of a healthy lifestyle (Medical News). No matter how active a person is, a poor diet can negate many of the healthy activities they take part in. When a child is growing up, it is almost solely your responsibility as a parent to provide them with healthy food options.
Ensure you always offer a balanced diet full of fruits, veggies, healthy proteins, grains, and all of the necessary vitamins and minerals. The earlier you can start, the better, as picky eaters tend to develop bad eating habits in the preschool years.
Of course, a snack or treat every now and then is perfectly acceptable and even encouraged. But be sure your child is getting all the nutrition they need before you allow them to indulge in dessert.
Do It With Them
If you preach the importance of being active and healthy but don’t practice it yourself, it sends a confusing message to your children. Children often want to do what their parents are doing, so it’s important to be active and eat well, too if you want your children to do the same.
Not only will this help your child be healthier, but it can also improve your health and wellness as well. And with more than one third of American adults being obese (Healthline), many adults could improve their diet and more healthy physical activity as well.
So instead of sending them to go play in the park, go with them and enjoy being physical and having fun together. This can encourage them and make for some great bonding time.
Giving Your Child the Best Shot at a Healthy Life
If you start your child off on the right foot when it comes to their health, it gives them a better chance of continuing to live healthy lives as they grow older. By ensuring the physical activity is fun, providing healthy eating options, and being active with your child, you can help your child be healthier and more active.