Grandpa Richard's Kids

Goal # 2 for Positive Parenting: Adopt a Healthy Family Lifestyle

In today’s hectic world, it’s sometimes easy to let healthy choices and time for an active lifestyle to go out the window. If you want a healthy outlook to dominate your children’s lives, it has to start with you. If you want healthy kids, you have to be a healthy parent.

Talk to your child about the benefits of exercise and talk about healthy food choices. You don’t have to be marathon runners or forbid any special treats completely, but add more healthy items to your regular day.

Here are some ideas to adopt a more healthy lifestyle:

• Do your meal-planning a week in advance and purchase all the ingredients you need. If you don’t plan ahead, you’re more likely to choose more fast-food options.
• Make meal time fun and get kids involved in the preparation.
• Leave a fruit bowl out where kids can help themselves.
• Prepare a veggie plate with cut vegetables that is readily accessible in the refrigerator at all times.
• Limit the number of times you eat out or take out. If you do need to choose prepared foods, make more healthy choices. If a restaurant you frequent doesn’t provide healthy choices, go elsewhere.
• A few times a week, make your family-time a physical activity. What you’ll do will depend on your parents ages and interests, but you might try:
  • Go for a nature walk
  • Visit a local aquarium, zoo or other attraction that requires walking.
  • Enjoy a game of tennis, golf or even bowling. Choose activities the kids like. If it keeps them off the coach, it’s probably a good thing.
  • Get family chores done. Wash the car together, vacuum, but make it fun with great conversation and play.
• Encourage your children to get involved in sports on their own. If there is a sport they would like to earn more about, enroll them and let them get extra physical activity.