Mission fitness: Easy ways to ensure your child's good health

It is important to be a part your kid's physical fitness. Read on how you can make it easy and fun

No matter how old or young you are, the significance of having a fit body cannot be undermined. Children, especially teenagers, need to emphasise on maintaining fitness and good health. Well, that’s a job easier said than done. It certainly won’t be wrong to say that a majority of kids in the contemporary are busy fiddling with laptops and smartphones. Therefore, parents need to take a step forward to motivate their kids to take fitness seriously.

In this article...

• Lead by example
• Be their mirror
• Make it fun

Tell your kids about the significance of having a fit body. They don’t have to join the gym in order to sweat it out; just encourage them to play and have fun. Keep a 60-90 minute window wherein they get enough opportunities to vent out their anger and frustration. 

A family that stays together and enjoys together is able to keep stress and anxiety at bay.

Here is what parents can do to ensure that their children are getting enough physical activity:

Lead by example

Yes, you heard that right. You need to create an environment wherein your children get to learn the importance of fitness from you. Indulge in a light workout session and they will join you when they watch you in action. It goes without saying that there is no bigger role model in a child’s life than his/her parents. Ask them to rise up early and take them out for a morning walk. Such small steps would go a long way in ensuring a healthy lifestyle for your child.

Also, if parents work out regularly, then children would also follow suit (most likely). 

Let them imitate you

Yes, it goes without saying that children are good at imitating others. The moment they see you indulging in a workout, they will want to join you. Speak to them at length about the need to indulge in physical activities. This way, they will know the importance of it. A physically-fi body is bound to stay with you for a long-long time. 

Enjoy some time together

Physical activity sessions can be turned into much more than just fitness workouts. It happens to be a great opportunity for everybody to come together and spend some quality time with near and dear ones. The idea is to enhance physical (and emotional) wellbeing. A family that stays together and enjoys together is able to keep stress and anxiety at bay.

So, the next time you see your children fiddling with smartphones, encourage them to indulge in physical activity of some sort. 

(Gulraj Bedi is a freelance writer with Children's Community Foundation)

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