Healthy heart habits - teach your children

Heart problems may be caused by many reasons, some are completely preventable and others less so, however, if we can adopt healthy heart habits we may reduce the potential risks of developing a heart condition. Even better still, if we can educate our children to follow these good habits we may be encouraging them to live happier, healthier and much fuller lives.

Lead by example

Children learn from their parents. If we, as parents, practise a daily ritual of exercise and good nutrition, our children will follow our lead. Children are good at copying what their parents do (more so than what parents say), thus, being a good role model for our children is essential.

Exercise

Family activities can help to increase physical fitness. This could be going for walk each day, spending at least thirty minutes a day playing in the back yard or teaching our children to swim. Whatever we do, physical activity is a beneficial and preventative
measure that will help to maintain not only our good health, but that of our children.

Get out of the house

With video games and computers becoming the source of many hours spent idle, it’s a good idea to limit the amount of time spent on these activities. Moreover, this will also prevent children from excessively consuming snacks while engaged in these activities.

Weight maintenance

Children who do have a problem with their weight need encouragement. Developing a positive self-image increases the child’s self-esteem and may lead to their own determination and discovery that physical exercise and diet is a path well chosen.

Do not keep unhealthy snacks in the fridge/cupboard

While we all love snacks, having too many around the home encourages children to choose these unhealthy foods instead of grabbing an apple or other nutritious snacks. There are plenty of snack recipes online that are healthy and nutritious. Have a look at http://www.itsyourbody.net/recipesarchive/fruitsquares.html for an example. Even better, having the children help with making snacks and meals will give them more incentive to eat them since they played a role in preparing it.

Obesity has become a pandemic in our society and has led to many illnesses and diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. As parents, our role is to ensure that our children lead healthy lives. This includes safeguarding their physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

Needless to say, exercise and a proper diet are conducive to a healthy lifestyle as well as a healthy heart. Healthy heart habits, when properly incorporated at the outset, are a preventative measure to ensure the health of the entire family is maintained.