4 Healthy Habits to Pass on to Your Children

As parents we have an enormous responsibility to shape the future world that our children live in. Every day it’s important that we instill not only healthy habits, but healthy values so that your children contribute to a better world for everyone. So, what kind of habits should you be passing on to your children? Here are some of the most important ones to get you started.

The Value of Family

Family is one of the most important things a person can have. Whether it’s your biological family or family you’ve chosen, having a sense of belonging and community is a critical part of forming a sense of stability.  Teach your child the importance of carving out time for the people that we call our family. 

Whether it’s visiting our grandparents in an assisted living facility, or having dinner as a family every night, it’s important that children understand how valuable family connection is.   Even though we may believe that our family will be there forever, the truth is that these moments are precious. So take advantage of every moment we can with the ones we love most.

Exercise

A sedentary lifestyle isn’t just a lazy one—it’s not a healthy one.  Teach your child the value of getting up early and getting to work. Physical movement is an important part of a healthy body, mind and spirit. Although going to the gym is admirable, it’s not necessary to have what is considered an “active” lifestyle. 

Some people who are in great shape never step foot in a gym. This is because they simply adapt active habits, like walking to work, or having an active profession. The more you can teach your children to love to sweat from a young age, the less susceptible they will be to obesity related diseases later in life.

Positive Attitude

When we turn on the news it’s easy to find yourself falling into a negative pattern of thinking. The “gloom and doom” that the media portrays the world as it’s a very pessimistic outlook on life. Teach your children to stay positive even during difficult moments. 

Positivity can go a long way in life and see you through extremely dark moments. Sometimes things go wrong, but that doesn’t mean we are doomed. There is always a silver lining if we look for it. Have faith that everything will work out, and your children will mimic your behavior.

Eat Vegetables and Fruits

Although it’s okay to indulge once in a while, it’s critical that your children know the importance of fresh fruits and vegetables in their diet. Teach them to love natural foods from a young age, and hopefully, they will continue to make healthy choices in their older age. 

Statistics show that adults with healthy eating habits we’re usually introduced to this way of eating early on in childhood. However, if you condition your children to eat processed foods out of a box from a young age, it can be harder to introduce fresh foods later on.