Like daughter, like mother. How to support our children’s mental and physical health.
I am a mother of 2 young girls. They are our absolute priority, and I hope to show them how to build a healthy, fulfilling life full of love and connection to others, but foremost to themselves. I believe the best way to support mental and physical health in children is by living such a life myself.
I can teach my kids about treating their body well and nourishing it with whole foods, hydrating it and giving it the right amount of rest and activity to thrive. I can educate them about emotions, how they are connected to our bodies and how to sit or work patiently through them. They already know about fear and anxiety, when to listen, and when not to. They are only 4 and 6 years old, but they master this surprisingly well, almost like it is natural.
Knowing this would mean very little if they did not see me eating healthy foods, exercising, resting, setting healthy boundaries, being persistent, and challenging myself to try new things.
As a health professional, I always had a good idea about keeping the body healthy and content, but I had to truly put the work in to understand the mind-body link. Exercise has always been my go-to therapy. It has recently to be 1.5 times more effective than counselling and medication or alleviating mild to moderate symptoms of depression, anxiety, and other psychological distress.
It is an essential part of our mental well-being and one I want my children to inherit as a natural go-to everyday self-care practice.
That is why my children are one of my primary motivators to maintain a regular exercise routine. I want to be able to take part in their lives for as long and as actively as possible, and I want them to learn from me how it is done. I remind myself of that when my 5 am alarm goes off to hit the gym.
Several have shown that active parents have more active kids than inactive ones.
Most of the time, they get enough exercise by playing. But both will soon be full-time in school, and active time will sadly be limited.
Today my 6-year-old stayed home from school as she was unwell yesterday. I asked her to come for a walk with me. She didn’t feel like it, but I convinced her to come along.
While out, I taught her how exercise strengthens the immune system, how our eyes need the outdoors not to develop nearsightedness, and how the will help our bodies to keep strong bones.
We practised gratitude by appreciating the beautiful trees and the native wildlife we encountered along our walk.
After, I asked her if she regretted coming, and she replied, “No, why?”. I reminded her that she initially did not feel like going out and asked her to pay attention to how her mood had changed from low energy to happy and playful. With a big toothless grin, she ran off to play.
Being active is an essential skill to be taught. Over 50 % of the Western community is inactive; let’s give our children the tools they need to thrive.
Exercise habits can be inherited, but it is never too late to use self-awareness to become a better decision-maker and choose a healthier, more active life.
Originally published at https://www.myhealthscript.com on August 2, 2023.
