Are you tired of trying to get your kids to live a healthy lifestyle and not having them listen? Perhaps you're not guiding them the best way. Ask yourself: Would you like to have someone behind you all day long, telling you what to eat, how to eat, when to eat, and how to spend your spare time? Let us guess, of course not! Now, think about this: How do your kids feel? Probably just like you did. Don't worry, we have a solution for you... cheer up!
The most effective way to educate and motivate your kids is by giving them the example yourself, since for children their parents are their heroes. Your kids admire you and want to be just like you, so take advantage of this situation to help them develop a healthy lifestyle.Here are some examples on how to get started.
During meal times:
- Avoid saying that you don'tlike some food, especially if you know it's healthy.
- Serve yourself vegetables and emphasize how much you like them.
- Make each meal fun and colorful.
- Serve small portions and avoid overeating.
- Use fruit to prepare appealing and delicious desserts rather than serving a piece of cake.
- Try to keep healthy foods available at home.
- Avoid eating sweets when you're watching television.
- Keep nutritious snacks ready in the refrigerator, so you and your children can enjoy at any time.
- If your kids don't like a specific food, don't force them to eat it. Try to prepare it differently the next time. For a child to get used to a food and actually like it, it might take up to 10 or 14 times of trying it. Patience!
With regard to physical activity:
- Plan activities that require movement to share with your children every afternoon.
- Take your kids to the park as often as you can, and get moving with them!
- Give your kids the responsibility of walking the dog daily and join them.
- Let them know how much you like to exercise and how good you feel after doing it.
- Motivate your kids to join a sports team at school and support them during the games.
- If your kids don't like a specific type of activity, don't force them to do it. Just give them other options.
It's all about you living a healthy lifestyle before demanding it from your children. You can be sure that if you see it from this point of view, it will be much easier to improve both your habits and theirs.
