February is American Heart Month. And while it’s a great reminder to show ourselves some love and think about making healthy eating choices and exercising more, it’s also a great opportunity to talk about these same issues with our kids.
If your family is anything like ours, we are constantly battling eating healthy, exercising and balancing our everyday lives and activities. I feel like I am always nagging the kids about eating less sugar and carbs and encouraging them to eat more fruits and vegetables. And, then in the next breath we are ordering pizza or getting donuts, because it’s easy and convenient.
Instilling healthy habits that will benefit the kids as they grow older is a continual challenge. So we try to find small fun ways to encourage the kids to make smart food choices and to get their bodies moving some every day. Any parent with more than one kid is well aware of how different from each other they can be. So healthy strategies that work with one child may be less effective with another child.
My son is a total gamer and could sit and play Minecraft for hours. But on the other hand, he’s typically a pretty good eater. He likes many kinds of fruits and vegetables and usually doesn’t take a lot of coaxing to try new ones. My daughter never sits still. She is constantly on the go and doesn’t need a lot of persuading to go outside or for a walk. However, she’s not always the best eater. She has a sweet tooth and turns her nose up to many veggies.
Here are a few things we do as a family to encourage a heart healthy lifestyle:
We eat together as much as we can. I ask the kids for meal suggestions. They feel like they have some say in what they are eating and gives us an opportunity to discuss what are and aren’t healthy eating options. I get a lot of requests for mac n’ cheese from my daughter. Since I know it’s one of her favorites, I make it, but I add peas or broccoli to it knowing she will gobble it up.
We try to model good behavior. The hubs and I are by no means perfect. There is a reason my daughter has a sweet tooth. But we do our best to eat healthy and exercise. And at the end of the day, that’s what matters most to your kids.
We limit screen time. We try to limit screen time to two hours a day. We also have a rule, when the kids are home from school, that our home is an electronic free zone between 8:00 am and 4:30 pm. With that said there are times that this doesn’t happen. But it’s constantly part of our conversation.
We try to do activities as a family. We get out as much as our schedules and the weather will allow us. When it’s nice out we go for walks, bike rides and swimming. In the winter, we get out and build a snow man, go ice skating and swim at the indoor pool. It’s not really about what you do, but that you’re having fun and showing your kids that exercise can be enjoyable.
We try to put the kids in activities that they enjoy. Again, kids are unique and you need to find what interests them the most. Both of our kids have tried a number of activities that keep them moving. Soccer, baseball, wrestling, football, dance, gymnastics, tumbling…whatever it is, if you help them find what they really like doing, they’re more inclined to stick with it.
How do you keep your kids heart healthy?
