The lessons that we teach our children about health will follow them throughout their lives. The right habits when it comes to health and hygiene are developed from education as well as parents being good examples. In the past there were plenty of misconceptions about what was healthy and what was not due to lack of knowledge. The internet has clarified quite a few things as a myriad of health knowledge can be accessed through a simple search on a smartphone. The following are areas that you as parents should teach your children about to help create and maintain healthy habits.
Dental
Dental hygiene is extremely important to teach children at a young age. Failure to brush teeth can lead to cavities as well as large dental bills from fillings or other procedures. Brushing is the most important thing to teach and make sure to opt for a toothpaste that is not too harsh. Extra minty toothpaste can be a bit too harsh for a child leading to them brushing their teeth for a shorter period of time. Certain children will need to hear why they should brush and floss directly from a dentist. Macleod Trail Dental in Calgary offers a myriad of different area of dental specialties so this can be a great practice for the entire family to go to.
Physical
An active lifestyle is something that parents can implement with the entire family. While family movie nights can be something that everyone can look forward to so can a bike ride on the weekend. During this ride many paths pass shops as well as restaurants so the family can make a day of it. Small things like children seeing their parents routinely go to the gym will interest them in things like cardio or lifting weights. Get your children into the routine of doing a morning workout before school whether it is body weight exercises or joining you for a morning jog.
Mental Health
Kids often are not aware that they have to keep themselves healthy mentally as well. Teenagers usually notice this first if they do not do things like relax and are constantly stressed. This can lead to a breakdown quite quickly as being a teenager can come with stresses of the body changing as well as the simply awkward stages that most people go through. Mental health days a few times a year whether it allows your teen to miss a day of school (if their grades are high) or miss a practice. This day can be used just to relax and relieve the stresses that have been bothering your teen. Taking these days yourself is not a bad idea either as being a parent that has to provide financially can wear a person down both mentally and physically.
Nutritional Health
Nutritional health could not be more important for children as healthy eating habits usually follow a person for life. A child or teen being able to make health dietary decisions without the help of their parents due to knowledge they have learned at home can do a variety of things. If your teen is a great athlete eating in a healthy way is the perfect way to fuel great performances. Weight gain is common during puberty and a good diet can help avoid these things as well as acne that can break out due to a poor diet full of greasy foods.
The above are areas to concentrate on when educating your children about living a healthy lifestyle. Your children will thank you in the future for instilling in them the importance of being active, eating right, and having great hygienic habits!