4 Tips for Growing a Healthy Family

As a parent you always want what’s best for your kids.  You want them to be healthy, happy and successful. 

As a society, we are inundated with products, programs, and information that seem to be essential for your children and their wellbeing. Trying to make healthy choices can often lead to parents feeling overwhelmed and stressed-out due to the enormous amounts of new (and often times conflicting) health information. 

Our fascination with current health trends often leads us to neglect basic health building blocks: sleep, food, water and exercise.  So before you get sucked into the next health craze/phenomenon/trend, ensure all members of the family (that includes you!) are getting their basic health needs met.

1. Sleep

 Do you wake without an alarm clock feeling refreshed?  If you answered no, you need more sleep.  Most of us try to squeeze as many “productive” hours out of a day as possible.  This always comes at the expense of rest and sleep.  Sleep is when our bodies repair themselves, our brains create new neural connections, and our children grow.  How much importance do you place on sleep?  Do you prioritize it in your daily agenda?  Are you setting a good sleep example for your kids?

2. Food

 You are what you eat.  So, do you know what you are eating?  Can you identify the original sources of your food?  There is a lot of nutrition information now a days and it can seem like everything is bad for you.  First you weren’t supposed to eat too much fat, now you’re not supposed to eat carbs… Some basic common sense would solve most nutritional issues we have in today’s society.  If you eat a diet based on food (ie. not based on processed, can-no-longer-identify-what-this-is packaged stuff) you and your kids will be much healthier.  While you’re at it, eat a “rainbow” of food (ie. a variety of foods that naturally cover the colour spectrum).  How much time do you spend preparing and eating food?  Does this time reflect the importance of good nutrition for you and your family?

3. Water

Most of the processes occurring in our bodies require sufficient water and electrolytes to keep things running properly.  Yet most of us walk around dehydrated.  A good rule of thumb is to drink between 1/2 and 1/3 your body weight in pounds in fluid ounces (ie. if you weigh 150lbs and your child weighs 60lbs you should drink between 50 – 75oz (1.5 – 2.5L) of water and your child should drink 20 – 30oz (600-900mL)).  The exception to this is exclusively breastfed infants as they do not typically require extra water beyond the breast milk. 

4. Exercise

Our bodies are designed to move.  Your children, left to their own devices, will generally run around.  Run around with them.  Daily.  Yes, that means every day.  Your kids are likely to do better in school if they have time every day to run around and play.

Keeping these fundamentals as the foundation for your family’s health will give you the best opportunity to grow a healthy, happy family.  Remember to lead by example and take care of your health, too!