We all know that leading a healthy life is essential to our health and well-being. Therefore, as mothers and fathers, we have the responsibility to educate our children to acquire a series of healthy habits from an early age. Childhood is a time when children show curiosity and learn about the world around them. It is at this time when they will begin to acquire the habits and customs that will lay the foundations of their health and behavior throughout life.
The acquisition of healthy lifestyle habits from childhood can help prevent many problems in adulthood such as overweight, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease or even cancer. Educating children in healthy habits from early childhood is the best preventive measure to take care of their health. Mothers and fathers at this stage have a golden opportunity to instill in our children the foundations to enjoy good physical and mental health throughout their lives.
Why is it important to teach healthy habits to children?
Today childhood obesity rates are staggering. Our lifestyle makes us turn to processed foods with high caloric content to the detriment of healthier foods such as fruits, cereals, legumes or vegetables. In addition, lack of time and fatigue mean that we do not always perform physical activity and that children spend hours in front of the television, video game console, mobile or tablet.
On the other hand, the long working hours of adults, make children spend more and more time in nurseries or schools, being deprived of the much-needed presence of their parents, for hours. Today's children have such busy schedules that they sometimes become stressed, seeing their rest and emotional health affected.
Therefore, the acquisition of habits that help improve the physical and mental health of our children is the best legacy that we can leave them to enjoy a long and healthy life.
Among the many advantages of acquiring healthy routines from an early age, it is worth highlighting:
- The prevention of diseases associated with a poor diet, lack of hygiene or sedentary lifestyle.
- Prevention of sleeping or eating disorders.
- Good emotional health prevents problems such as stress, hyperactivity or possible future addictions to tobacco, alcohol or drugs.
- The foundation is laid for good health throughout life.
How to instill healthy habits in your children?
The theory is clear, but now it's time to put it into practice. Sometimes it is difficult to establish an exact definition of what those healthy habits are, as it will depend on our own education and customs. In general, When we talk about healthy life, we usually think about food, hygiene and sports. But there are other habits related to mental health, such as avoiding stressful or traumatic situations, favoring adequate rest or establishing social relationships.
Children acquire habits by observing the adults around them and incorporating them into their day-to-day routines. Therefore, if we want our children to learn to lead a healthy lifestyle, we must start with lead by example and practice what we want to instill in them.
Some ideas for teaching healthy habits to children
- Set fixed meal times with a varied and balanced diet. When they are old enough, involve your children in the preparation and preparation of the menus.
- Do the weekly shopping with them. So you can explain to them on the go how to choose the healthiest foods.
- Demand buy healthy food. Thus, when they want to snack, what they find will be products that will help them get used to enjoying foods that benefit their health.
- Organized by sports or outdoor activities with the family. Try not to make sport an obligation, but something fun that everyone enjoys. Rewarding experiences are easier to incorporate as a habit.
- Do the day by day less sedentary. Taking the dog out, taking a short walk, walking to school or stopping a couple of stops before the bus, are small activities that involve little effort and provide a huge health benefit.
- Set realistic goals. You don't want to change your habits overnight. It is better to propose small changes and gradually incorporate them into your lives.
- Take advantage of the children's need for play, to propose recreational activities that transmit the knowledge and tools necessary to take care of themselves and enjoy good health. For this we can use symbolic play, songs, poetry, role-playing games or audiovisual methods that deal with the habits that we want to work on at all times.
The acquisition of healthy habits from childhood is an investment in the future health of your children. Childhood, with their innate curiosity and their ability to learn, is the best time to teach them to lead a healthy and balanced life both physically and emotionally. Take advantage of it!