Healthy Living for You and Your Children

Article by Howard Lange

We all want what is best for our kids. In my case, it has been very important to me right from the beginning that my son live a wholesome lifestyle. I didn’t exactly know back when he was first born what all that would entail, but I’ve learned three important rules that I think promote healthy living for the entire family.

*Eat a nutritional and well-balanced diet plan. Before my son was in a position to eat “real” food, I never put much thought into the quality of food I was eating and/or preparing for our meals. As soon as he was able to join us for meal time and ask/beg for food, I realized extremely rapidly that the food I supplied for us ALL had to be healthy. I could no longer feed him the “good stuff” while my husband and I inhaled a greasy pizza. He wanted to eat what Mommy and Daddy were consuming so issues had to alter – Fast!

This wasn’t as difficult as I had expected. I merely sat down and produced a list of the foods I wanted him to eat based on their nutritional content material – this included lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, and extremely small processed and sugary foods. The next time I went towards the grocery shop I stuck to that list. Whenever I had the urge to throw in a box of cookies or potato chips I just asked myself, “Is this something I want my son consuming?” Most of the time the answer was “NO” so I would keep on walking by. I’m pleased to say that my son eats a very healthy diet. Rather than begging for candy or chips, he begs for bananas, grapes, and blueberries.SERIOUSLY! The bonus to all this really is that my husband and I are eating healthier and really feel great. Being a great example for our son has benefited us as well!

*Get moving. As with everything I’m discussing here, it is all about being a good example for our children. They so a lot want to be just like us, that they’ll do Exactly what we do, whether it is good or bad. If we show our children from a young age that exercise is enjoyable and worthwhile, they will enjoy it also. My son is now two years old and loves to dance, chase bubbles, run with his dogs, and go for walks. These are things he already enjoys performing and when we do them together, we both get an excellent workout!

*Drink lots of water. Some parents probably believe I’m crazy but my son is over two years old and has most likely only had juice four or 5 times. He went directly from breastfeeding to milk and water. Occasionally I will give him some watered down orange juice simply because, of course, he sees Mommy drinking it and desires to be just like me. But in general he only drinks water. He doesn’t beg for soda because he does not know what he’s missing and that’s fine with me! Plus, he sees Mommy and Daddy drinking water all day lengthy so he knows it is the “cool” thing to do.

The most essential factor I’ve learned in these two brief years is how impressionable kids are. They want nothing more than to be just like us. It is quite an honor, actually. But also a great responsibility. I think that by following these 3 easy rules my whole family will be healthier and most importantly, my son will grow up having already developed healthy living habits. I hope you discover these suggestions helpful and I wish you and your family members extremely healthy living!