Fostering healthy habits while your child is still young
Most of our physical and mental health attributes have a deep rooting on our childhood. The food we eat, the medical attention we get and the general care we receive defines who we are. Teaching your kid healthy habits at a tender age will not only create a strong foundation but also train them to live a healthy life.
This is easier said than done. Children are quite choosy. They will avoid anything that seems oppressive or not delicious no matter how healthy it might be. Fostering healthy habits while your child is young will take lots of creativity and understanding. Here are a couple of things to help you get started.
Teach, Don’t Instruct
No one really loves being dominated and deprived the freedom of choice. Understanding this innate nature will help you teach and control your child through to adulthood. You will stand a better chance at fostering healthy habits if your child understands why he or she is doing some things and avoiding others rather than just making the practice an unbreakable rule.
Involve Your Children in Practice
Involving your children or child in planning the healthy habits will give you a chance to find out what they like or dislike. This priceless opportunity to spend time making the child feel important will also help you impart useful nutrition and life skills that will come in handy when coping with the peer pressure from friends and classmates who don’t lead a healthy lifespan.
Keep the Healthy Habits as Fun as Possible
The greatest problem to teaching, adapting and living a healthy lifestyle without the right motivation is that it seems less fun. It isn’t fun to keep off chocolate and ice cream all your life. But it is fun to eat controlled amounts of ice cream and live an active lifestyle that burns it off.
Finding the right balance between the two will keep you child excited about the healthy habit hence giving all the motivation you need to accomplish your goal.
Most of the pediatricians in Phoenix Arizona will suggest a positive encouragement approach when teaching healthy habits to your kids. This the greatest chance you have at succeeding since they will be part of the plan and won’t feel oppressed and deprived of all the fun things that are out of their reach.
