In a lot of ways, a family rubs off on each other. Different habits and actions that a family member may tend to do often end up getting imitated down the line, after all, your children are around you most of the day, and vice-versa. Part of the problem with this, though, is that not all habits that a family shares are positive ones. Poor dietary choices, stressful lifestyles, and sedentary activities are often passed down, not out of malice, but just by osmosis. As a parent, you want to make sure that this doesn’t happen to your family, so the best thing you can do is try to grab the reins early on and set an example for your family to make healthy living the standard. Here are some ways to start.
Healthy Living
One area where a lot of these issues start is not eating the right diet. Whether it’s due to financial reasons, lack of time, or lack of ability to cook, there are a lot of junk foods and snacks out there that should only be eaten on occasion but are the foundation of some families’ diets. It can be difficult to go cold turkey, especially with younger children, but the good news is that parents today have more and more opportunities for healthy snack substitutes than ever before. A simple online search on the flavors and textures your kids like may help you find a new favorite snack. As a small add-on, it’s also a good idea to try and use mealtime to build a little structure. Set aside a set time to eat, and use the time to talk about how things are going.
Right along with diet comes exercise, and with current statistics regarding people being overweight, a lot of people either:
- Aren’t getting active enough.
- Are doing some basic activity, but are eating diets so bad it negates the work they do.
One doesn’t work without the other in terms of staying healthy. Adults may be able to drag themselves to the gym even if they don’t care for working out, but that’s a little harder to do for children. In general, though, you want to aim for at least 60 minutes of exercise per day. This doesn’t have to be extremely rigorous—just basic aerobic exercise. Any sort of activity that has you breathing heavy and sweating a little works, from playing outdoors to riding a bike to swimming to even certain dancing video games.
Along with what you do and what you eat, there are other facets of your health that may seem to be only one niche, but actually, have applications to your general health. One great example of this is oral health. Most people only think about their oral health in terms of taking care of their teeth and gums, but oral health can also be an indicator of a wide variety of other health conditions, so you want to make sure that you and your children are both making regular dentist visits. If it helps, try to get it all done at one place so you can set an example for the kids when getting your teeth done.
According to Lucio Persichetti, a dentist in St Clair Shores MI, the ideal dentist you choose “should be able to treat kids, adults and seniors alike. Kids and seniors require special dental care and your dentist should be equipped to provide these specialized services. Even cosmetic dentistry, TMJ treatment, and oral cancer screenings are services that your dentist should be able to provide, in the event you are in need.”
However, to forward the cause of healthy living in your home, you also want to encourage other strong oral health habits as well. The good news is that eating a balanced and healthy diet is already tipping the scales in your favor, by cutting out excessive sugar as well as providing support from other important nutrients like calcium. Other things worth doing are making sure that you and your children brush their tongues and floss to get a full clean.
In many ways, the health issues in this country stem from our need for speed and convenience. When you have a lot of things in the home to juggle, there’s a reason why that fast food may sound like a good prospect, or why you want to relax instead of getting that exercise in. However, taking that little bit of extra effort each day is a lot more feasible than making a massive change overnight, and in the end, both will yield a positive result.
Contributed post on Healthy Living
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