A lot of the habits that we have as an adult begins at a young age. And not just within the teenage years, but way back to our formative years. Our family mostly dictates how we’ll end up, as they’re the most basic unit of society where we directly get our influences from. This then leads to the point of this article: healthy habits always begin at home.
Most people suffer debilitating yet preventable diseases, largely caused by their apparent lack of healthy habits. While rectifying that and working towards a healthier lifestyle is still possible, preventive measures are far better than recuperative strategies. But as mentioned before, good habits begin with your family. That said, if you’re raising your own family, it’s in you and your children’s best interest to raise them with healthy habits.
Normalize Eating Healthy
Remember that children are highly impressionable, and they can easily pick up whatever they see from adults. This is exhibited in their eating habits too, as what they normally eat at home can highly influence how they approach diet, in general, their whole lives. Even if they see a lot of junk food from their peers, if they know how to enjoy healthy food, they won’t easily give in to peer pressure and start choosing chips over their vegetables.
If you are packing lunch for them, make sure to pack healthy food and try to make it fun as well. Japanese bento box food items like cute cartoon fork pick or colorful food-grade silicone cups can add to kids’ enjoyment, so go ahead and give it a go.
Encourage Fitness and Exercising
Both boys and girls need to learn the importance and benefits of living an active lifestyle. Their youth might lend them the ability to gain or lose weight easily, but having a habit of exercising will help them manage adult life better. With obesity being among the major health concerns, a lot of people are facing, we want the next generation to be free of its problems.
For girls, especially once they reach puberty and start menstruation, there are threats that can surface from hormonal issues, which a healthy diet and exercise can help manage. It’s important to regularly visit their women’s doctor or health clinic for preventive exams and checkups, especially when the leading diseases for women stem from reproductive problems.
Remove Fear from Doctor Visits
A common trait many of us share is the fear of visiting the doctor. Many often equate visiting the doctor to being horribly sick, which is a wrong belief to have. Everyone needs to see the doctor regularly, especially for annual checkups. This is to make sure that there’s no hidden disease or problems. The importance of trips to the dentist, physician, and even ophthalmologists should be imparted to our children as they need to learn to be responsible for themselves. Being comfortable with health professionals teaches them to not ignore signs or symptoms of diseases, preventing them from becoming worse.
Practice Gadget Moderation
Everything in moderation is a popular saying that’s often ignored. But perhaps, there is no advice more apt for our current generation. Nowadays, it’s easy to get an excess of anything. Excessive social media use, video games, TV series, and more- these can be accessed instantly, often leading to screen addiction. While they’re not exactly bad, they spell a lot of trouble for growing children. Screen addiction can lead to obesity, eye problems, attention problems, bad posture, and a lot more.
Forcing your child to just drop technology entirely isn’t particularly smart either, as it will only frustrate. Consider moderating their use, allowing them a set amount of time in front of their gadgets. Give them something else to do, allow them to go out and pay, or help you out. What’s important is to teach them that they shouldn’t be in front of the screen for 90% of the day.
Sleep Is Always Important
As mentioned, in this day and age where technology can offer non-stop entertainment, a lot of kids tend to get glued to their gadgets even past bedtime. The need for discipline, moderation, and a proper schedule is crucial in helping children become responsible individuals. Not only that, but these also factor into their growth and development, especially sleep.
Not having enough sleep can be a factor in a child’s development issues, as our body often regenerates and recuperates during sleep. It also increases irritability, anxiety, and stress, making it more difficult to handle your child.
The habits and mannerisms that children pick up from family are among the most likely to last their lifetime. It’s hard to change habits, especially if we’re used to them our whole life. That’s why it’s important to impart good habits instead of bad ones.
