Have you ever stopped to think about just how much you do to try to keep your kids healthy? Most of the caretaking you do as a parent traces back to that goal, really. It’s not just enough to help them be healthy now, though. What you do now can have a huge impact on their health down the road too, so here’s a few things to remember!
Encourage Healthy Eating and Exercise
You can’t really talk about living a healthy lifestyle that avoids major health issues without talking about healthy eating and exercise. When you eat a nutritious, balanced diet, you give your body the nutrients and energy it needs to function properly. Doing that over the course of a lifetime can go a long way towards protecting health and preventing lifestyle-related chronic illnesses. Exercise works on the same principle. When you exercise regularly, you help build your body’s strength and fitness, reducing your risk of experiencing debilitating injuries and lifestyle-related illness. Get your children involved with planning and preparing healthy meals and find fun activities that help them learn to enjoy being physically active.
Focus on Prevention
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, or so the saying goes. That’s definitely the case when it comes to health. Preventing health issues isn’t just about eating and exercise. Learning how to practice good hygiene matters too. Teach your children to wash their hands properly, how to bathe themselves, and how to care for their teeth. Keep an eye out for teeth or jaw issues when they’re young too. Teeth or jaw issues are easier to fix early on before they become huge problems.
Help Them Practice Good Sleep Hygiene
Kids need a lot of sleep. The quantity is important, but it’s not the only thing that matters. The quality of the sleep they get is especially crucial. In order to get high quality sleep, teach your children to practice good sleep hygiene. Help them go to bed and get up at the same time every day, even on weekends. Teach them to use their beds for sleeping, rather than playing. Help them unwind and relax from the day with a regular bedtime routine. Help them make sure their room is clean, quiet, cool, and dark so they can get the rest they need.
It’s hard to overstate the impact a parent can have on a child’s life. The habits that you instill in your kids can go a long way towards setting them up to live healthy lives and avoid major health issues. Just remember that the example you set is at least as important as the words you say, if not more so. Your kids will be watching you, so practice what you preach and enjoy the benefits of healthy habits together.
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