Practicing Healthy Habits for Myself and My Kids

How I am role modeling a healthy lifestyle for my children.

When I was younger, I don’t remember sitting down at the dinner table very often with my parents. This is not to say that they were bad parents; they both worked full-time jobs, which left little time for home-cooked meals. We would often go out to eat or pick up fast food and eat on the go. It was rare that all four of us would sit at home and eat together.

The Consequences

As I grew up and began to become more aware of my food choices, I realized that what I was eating most days was not good for my body. Once I reached high school, I began to take note of the amount of food I was consuming and how much I was exercising. You could say that I became a bit obsessive over food and exercise, and this only worsened once I went off to college (however, this is a topic for another post). Although I was more aware of the amount of food I was eating, I did not take into account the quality of foods I was eating. It was not until after completing my nursing degree that I realized the effects of unhealthy foods on both the mind and body.

Making Changes

Once I realized that eating less processed, fast, and junk foods meant I felt better emotionally and physically, I began to make healthy eating a lifestyle. I also made physical activity a regular part of my daily routine and not a chore. I strongly believe that this lifestyle made my two pregnancies and labors fairly easy (in comparison to some of the horror stories I have heard).

Raising Kids of My Own

Now that I have two young children, I want to be the best role model for them and do things a little differently than my parents did. I want my children to see my daily healthy habits and how these habits give me energy. This is why I make it a priority to sit with them at dinner most nights of the week and get outside and play with them.

Shared Mealtimes

It is true that kids will model their parent’s behavior. This is why I eat healthy foods in front of my kids and sometimes even try to get them involved in the cooking. However, for those of you that have toddlers, you know that getting them to eat a vegetable can be a struggle. Although my kids rarely eat vegetables these days, I make it a point to eat vegetables myself in hopes that one day they will want to eat them with me.

Outdoor Time

My husband and I also get our kids outside as much as possible. Our goal is to have them not grow up with screens in their face. We go on walks with them and take them to the park as much as our schedule allows. We want them to view physical activity as fun and not a chore to be done.

I hope that one day when my children are older, they will look back and appreciate the time my husband and I spent with them. I also hope that they will emulate the healthy lifestyle they are familiar with that they learned from their parents.