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Healthy Parents, Healthy Kids: How to Create a Culture of Wellness at Home
Everything changes when you become a parent. Your time, your finances, and especially your lifestyle.
It’s not just sleepless nights and diaper changes. Parenthood motivates us to make healthier choices in daily life. As parents, we want to set a good example for our children and encourage healthy habits. A healthy lifestyle also makes it easier to keep up with rambunctious kids.
How can parents create a healthy environment at home? Use these tips to put your family on the path to better wellness.
Put on your own oxygen mask first: Self-care for parents
If you’ve ever flown in an airplane, you know the importance of putting on your own oxygen mask first before helping someone else. The same rule applies at home. If you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t give your best to your children.
● Self-care for parents starts with healthy everyday habits. Exercising, eating well, and getting enough sleep are harder with kids but no less important.
● Check in with your emotions on a regular basis. Are you more irritable, avoidant, or tense than usual? Be proactive about your emotional well-being instead of waiting until mental health becomes a problem.
● Don’t stop growing after having kids. Learn how to achieve personal growth through self-compassion rather than letting your inner critic drive behavior.
● Personal goals may focus on internal growth
or improving your health, relationships, or finances. Parents often find their career goals shift after kids, leading many to go back to school for a career with more pay, passion, and flexibility.
How parents can set a healthy example for children
Children mimic their parents. That’s why it’s not enough to tell kids how to take care of themselves. You need to show them.
● Make time for physical activity every day, even if it’s only a few minutes. Find ways to include kids in physical fitness but don’t forget to carve out personal time to exercise and unwind.
● Model good eating habits by eating vegetables, trying new foods, and following an eating schedule. Avoid designating food as “good” or “bad” and instead, focus on finding balance in healthy eating.
● Manage your stress, don’t just react to it. Talking about feelings and developing healthy coping mechanisms helps children build their own emotional vocabulary.
● That applies to physical ailments too. Ignoring chronic conditions impedes your ability to parent and teaches children to hide their problems. Stop masking and learn how to address symptoms holistically.
Talking to kids about healthy habits
Now that you’re walking the walk, you’re ready to talk to your children about what it means to live well.
● Teaching self-care starts at an early age when parents help with hygiene, provide healthy food and activity choices, and encourage screen-free time for fun and connection.
● Guide children to wise food choices by talking about vitamins and nutrients, teaching kids to read food labels, and making shopping and cooking a family activity.
● Kids are less likely to exercise when it feels like a chore. Find activities that your children enjoy and use gamification and kid-friendly websites and apps to engage kids in fitness.
● Raising healthy kids goes beyond meeting their physical needs. Parents cultivate self-esteem, mindfulness, and a positive attitude in the way they speak to their children about goals and self-improvement.
Raising healthy, happy kids involves a lot more than talking about healthy
choices. As a parent, it’s up to you to model what a healthy lifestyle looks like and give
your children the tools to be their best selves.
Are you taking a hard look at your health for the first time since becoming a parent? If you want to take charge of your family’s health but your own well-being is standing in the way, contact Resonant Health to learn how you can develop health intuition and transform your health holistically.
This article was submitted by Ms Campos. A busy parent of three children, Ms. Campos understands the pressure and challenges of working moms and dads face. When she’s not working or running her children to various after-school activities, Ms. Campos loves to practice yoga, CrossFit, and watching The Great British Baking Show.