Encouraging Your Kids to Be Healthy

Many people struggle with being healthy. They wish they would have made exercise more important when they were younger, or that they didn't eat Twinkies al the time.

Sometimes these regrets apply to our kids; we wish we would have spent more time playing outside with them, or that we made them eat their vegetables. However, it's not too late to start living a healthy life, and to taech our kids to do so as well.

One great technique is getting your kids involved in sports. Many communities offer children's team sports and they often group the teams into neighborhoods. This is a great way to teach your kids that exercising can be fun, and they can make some new friends too.

You can also go walking as a family. This will allow your family to spend some time together, and your kids will see that you enjoy exercising too.

When kids think exercise is fun, that attitude can carry with them into adulthood. They will maintain their healthy habits! Getting your kids to participate in sports is an effective way to get them to exercise.

Another way to keep your kids healthy starts with your grocery shopping. When you go to the store, focus on healthy (but delicious) foods. Find out which healthy foods your kids like! Encouraging them to eat their favorite fruits and vegetables is a great way to promote good nutrition.

When kids are little and still trying out new foods, it's important to have them try as many veggies as they are able. Once they reach a certain age, kids assume the foods they haven't tried before are gross. Have them try a variety of healthy foods, like: broccoli, tomatoes, spinach, carrots, apples, berries and bananas. Focus on fresh foods that are rich in nutrients.

If they won't eat their veggies raw and plain, encourage them to eat them with a low-fat ranch dip. Yes ranch is usually high in calories, but those foods are packed with enough nutrients to help balance it out. You should also encourage a little more exercise to help balance out the extra calories.

Kids are sometimes stubborn about what they eat though. If it looks gross to them, they aren't going to eat it. There are many fun ways to dress up their foods and make them more appetising.

For example, you can get an apple peeler that peels and cuts it into swirls, or have your kids make faces on their plates with sliced veggies. Then you can laugh together as you are taking it apart and "eating the face". When taking a bite of a tomato, you can tease your kids and say "You're eating his eyes!". They will enjoy the food faces, and you'll enjoy good nutrition.

There are many more ways to encourage your kids to be healthy. Each child is different, so your methods of encouraging healthy habits should be tailored to their personality. Remember that your end goal is to encourage your kids to be healthy.

About the Author

Alyssa Beal Alyssa Staheli is a health and fitness enthusiast. She loves to write and share her knowledge with others. This is because she believes that “knowledge is power” and that with the right information, you can do anything. You can find Alyssa on Google+.