Mothers often seek daily simple solutions to raising their children. Trying to keep them safe, clean, and well-educated is a full load. Now, add to that mix a way to get them well-fed and maintain a healthy body. By incorporating some simple and natural practices into your children’s lives, you can battle bad eating habits and poor hygiene. Discover how you can meet those goals with the following four suggestions.
Eat the Most Important Meal of the Day
The word breakfast says it all. Break the fast that your kids slept through last night. Start off their day with a meal that recharges their batteries and allows them to perform at full capacity throughout the day.
Breakfast should be a healthy meal, such as whole-grain cereal, not a sugary substitute. Scrambled eggs with wheat toast or a fruit-filled smoothie are other great choices. Show your kids how to prepare these meals themselves. Quick alternatives don’t have to involve processed sweet treats. Make breakfast a daily meal, not something that happens only on school mornings or weekdays.
Get Them to Move It, Move It!
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that childhood obesity in the United States has more than tripled in the last 30 years. Approximately one in five school-age children are obese.
Get your children to run more and sit less: Health experts recommend 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity each day. Physical education at school is only a stepping stone to burning fat and increasing muscle tone. Encourage your kids to join a sports team or have them go outside, ride their bicycle, or do some inline skating. If they insist on staying inside and playing video games, tell them to choose one that involves a physical activity.
Maintain Sweet Air and Scents
A healthy lifestyle also includes proper personal hygiene and high-quality indoor air. Moms know that active kids carry a certain smell into the house from outdoors. Educate them about using deodorant after daily baths or showers. Even if the subject seems touchy in its approach, it’s an essential one to discuss with them.
To put odors at bay and improve the air that your family breathes, consider scheduling a service appointment for your HVAC system. Regular HVAC system maintenance can increase your home’s indoor air quality and keep the interior of your home smelling pleasant.
Provide Plenty of Healthy Snacks
Stock your pantry and refrigerator with plenty of fruits and vegetables to reduce your child’s searches for candy, cookies, and other unhealthy snacks. Keep apples, pears, and bananas in a bowl on your dining room table. Fill several small resealable plastic bags with nuts, trail mix, and granola to place on your pantry shelves.
Baked potato chips are a great alternative to salty ones that are high in fat. When they’re seeking a drink to wash down all the snacks, hand them a bottle of water or a glass of milk.
Take time to perform these lifestyle practices with your kids. Children learn by watching their parents and imitating what they do, so eat, exercise, and spend quality time together as a family.
These are great tips for keeping kids healthy.