Tips for healthy habbits

Came across this article about how to keep your kids habbits healthy and life-long. I thought it can apply to all though.

Make chips, ice cream floats or other purchased snacks a treat for a once a week, family movie or game night. Make a special trip to the store to get the treat. If it’s not always in the house you can’t give in to your own (or the kids) weak moments between those special times.

Buy the right foods. If all the kids find to eat is an apple and they’re truly hungry they’ll eat an apple. Eating an apple or celery with peanut butter is not a punishment. If you appreciate a fresh, crunchy snack they’ll learn to like it too.

If you live outside of town, drop your kids off at a safe place, half a mile or more from their school building. They get a walk and you don’t have to deal with the traffic congestion around the school. Live in town? Don’t even let them get into the car in the morning. (For yourself, do the same. Park in the farthest parking spot away from the building you work in or walk to work).

Only let your kids turn on the TV (or other screen) if they’ve played outside for an hour or attended a sports practice in the time between school and dinner. Everyone plays outside, even if they don’t think they like the outdoors. They’ll figure out a way to have fun; they’re kids.

Unless your child’s doctor tells you there is a reason for your child to lose weight, focus on a healthy diet and exercise. Unlike adults, if a child is overweight simply maintaining that weight while they grow taller will solve the problem most of the time. (For you, do the same. Focusing on a healthy diet and exercise rather on loosing those extra pounds will improve your results).

Challenge: Implement one of these tips into your life and try it for the next month.