Encouraging Children to be Healthy and Active
As many people know, I enjoy keeping fit and I try my best to eat healthily too. This is something my five year old twins have started to take notice of in recent months. That’s why I like to encourage them to exercise.
They’ve always know that mummy likes to run and they quite often join me in stretching after my runs. They know the names of the stretches and the muscles that each particular stretch is for!
They also know that it’s important to keep fit and eat a varied diet.
Now, I have to be honest and admit that when I was a kid, the last thing I wanted to do was exercise or eat healthy. However, the world has changed a lot since I was a child.
Both of my step-daughters regularly go to the gym and both try to maintain healthy diets. When I was their age, these things didn’t even cross my mind.
I’d eat what I wanted, when I wanted, and never put weight on. However, after leaving college and getting a desk job, I soon discovered that eating what I wanted, soon saw me pile on the pounds.
I firmly believe that there’s more emphasis nowadays on younger people to be active and to eat right, and this is so important.
By teaching our children from a young age, we can hope that this will become the norm for them.
So, how can we encourage our children to be healthy and active?
For me, it’s quite simple. We, as parents, need to lead the way.
If our children see us keeping fit and eating right, then they too will automatically follow in our footprints. I’m not saying children should never eat chocolate or a McDonalds. I love both! It just needs to be in moderation.
Our twin girls, R and M, always ask if they can run with me, and I’m more than happy to let them. In their five years, they’ve taken part in a 2k fun run and a 1.5k fun run. They’ve also completed a 5 mile challenge this month and are eagerly awaiting their medals in the post!
They run with me on a regular basis and they absolutely love it.
However, running isn’t for everyone.
Perhaps a bike ride or a walk to the park for a play is more up your child’s street. Either way, by making simple changes such as walking to school instead of taking the car, we can lead the way for the next generation.
What do you think? Do you try to encourage your children to be active and eat a balanced diet?
