LIVING HEALTHY: MAKE IT A FAMILY AFFAIR!

When we look at our health, and all the issues we may have that tag along with it, you may wonder, “How on earth did I get here?” “When did my health start to plummet?” “When did I lose interest in staying active?”

Let’s take a look back to our childhood. Many of my childhood memories consist of playing with my friends outside – rain or shine. It didn’t matter. What mattered was that I was with friends or family, running and jumping around having fun! However, as the years went on, as I grew up going through school with numerous assignments and exams and new friends, my priorities began to change, leaving “playing” to simmer on the back burner of my life.

I have always been an active person, as my mother consistently had me enrolled in various sports, like soccer, swimming, skating, dance, you name it. TV was non-existent in my life, and continues to be so. However, even though I was an active child, my health still did not remain a priority, so I can only imagine what will come of those children who were not active to begin with!

You are reading this for a reason, so I must give you applause. You have made the best choice for your well being by taking the step towards leading a healthy life. You will not regret this decision, I assure you. But make sure you stick with it, as there will be times where it is not so easy and you want to give up.

Here are some ways to make living a healthy life, easier:

BRINGING IT HOME!

Tag along the Kids!
Now that you are making the choice to work towards a happy and healthy life, why not get the children on board too?! Make this a family affair! Get everyone to join in! Make yourself healthy as well as those kiddies, to ensure that THEIR future, too, is as healthy as possible!

Have a Healthy Kitchen
Clean those cupboards! Steer clear of junk food – chips, cookies, candy, all of which are unnecessary for your step forward! When you have your entire family on board, living a healthy life is much easier as you can avoid any form of temptation.

Family Challenge!
Set up a family challenge between you and your household!
• How many healthy snacks can you eat in a week?
• How many hours a week were you active?
Anything at all! But make it fun and engaging! You may even spruce up some excitement between you and your kids!

I will leave you with this, but please, TRY IT! You will not go back! I want you to get healthy, but I want to ensure you are leading by example for your kids too! They will follow. And c’mon, as a parent, who wouldn’t want to see their child happy and healthy?!

If you find that your child has no interest in this, considering screen time seems to take the interest of majority of children nowadays, there are programs out there that can get your child engaged.

I actually run two Educational Health & Fitness Programs for Students and Youth:
The Kids O Course – An obstacle course for children with the educational component on how to set personal GOALS and how to live healthy lives.
Visit www.kidsocourse.com for more details!
NuFit – Nutritional Fitness is a program where students learn how to make healthy nutritional choices!
Visit http://www.planet-play.ca/education/education-program-description

Both programs include the Ontario Healthy & Physical Education Curriculum, which will assist and enable them to excel in their school academics!!

So go and have fun with your family! Enjoy the time together and the challenges that will bring you closer! You can do it!!!

Liz Martino
M. Ed., BA, CPT
Youth Health & Fitness Educator
liz@kidsocourse.com