As a parent, one of the most integral things I urged my kids to do was to adopt and embrace a healthy lifestyle. Raising teens to make healthy decisions and trusting that they will make those good decisions when unsupervised is no easy feat. As a mother, I wanted to equip my daughters with healthy habits for life! These are a few of my secrets that have tremendously helped me instill healthy habits in my children.
Lead By Example
Your children will always take your lead in everything you do. It’s important for your children to see you prioritize nutrition and physical activity in your own life. Your message will resonate more if you embody the traits you want to instill. Your kids are paying attention. And by seeing you demonstrate healthy habits, they’ll pick up on them, too.
Prioritize Physical Activity at Home
Getting your teens off the couch is important, especially when obesity rates among children continue to rise. Regular exercise is the foundation for a healthy life and as a parent, it was so important that I integrated exercise into the activities we participated in as a family. Make physical activity part of your family’s routine – it can be fun to encourage the whole family to get up and move! Staying active helps your teen maintain a healthy weight and encourages them to take charge of their health.
Talk About the Importance of a Healthy Diet
You have to start planting the seed early when it comes to healthy food habits. Healthy eating involves taking control of how much and what types of food you eat, as well as the beverages you drink. Studies have shown that the food you feed your children now will directly shape their food preferences later on in life. If you encourage eating junk food today, they may grow up to refuse healthy food later on. Teach your teens how to cook the nutritious meals they enjoy, that way they will be equipped with the knowledge to cook meals for when they are on their own and need to grocery shop for themselves.
Also, note that healthy diets don’t always start and end with only food. Making sure you are drinking enough water to stay hydrated throughout the day is a huge component as well!
When it comes to ensuring a healthy lifestyle for your teens, there are so many little moving parts that need to work together to support that lifestyle to help your kids thrive. Talk to your teens about what it means to be healthy and make sure you’re practicing these habits with them!
For more on how to teach your teens healthy habits, reach out to Coach Red, a Delray Beach life coach. We are here to make families safe, to have children be heard and loved. Be sure to subscribe to Coach Red on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn so you don’t miss any of these great topics.