I’ve written often about chasing a long life, usually focusing
on things that you need to do late in life in order to be healthy through your
golden years. Unfortunately, it seems I’ve ignored the most important time—the
developmental years. Birth to 18. That’s when you can impact health the
most.
Let’s look at what that means. And what you, as a parent,
can do.
The single most important thing you can do is to be a good
role model. I remember an old saying “do
as I say do, don’t do as I do.” Huh-uh.
Doesn’t really work.
Your children will model your behaviors. If you eat right, they will too. If you lead an active lifestyle, they will
too. Let’s face it—inactive kids become
inactive adults. And lifestyle choices,
especially in the young, determine our health.
For the rest of our lives.
Your kids need regular exercise. An hour a day or more. That’s part of the reason youth sports can be
so important. My rule was always that I don’t care what you play but you have
to play something.
That wasn’t a problem around my house. My kids wanted to play everything. Sports
were everything from softball to basketball to gymnastics and lots in between. They
both finally settled on football and volleyball and had great careers. Family
activities included hiking, swimming, skiing, paddling. You name it, we did it.
We once took a whitewater canoe course at the Nantahala
Outdoor Center. I think the kids were 11 and 13, paddling solo whitewater
canoes. We sometimes did crazy stuff like that. And backcountry backpacking
trips.
The bottom line is that if you want your child to be more
active, be more active yourself. And,
better than that, be active with them. Go
for a run. Play a sport. Shoot hoops together. Anything.
Getting adequate sleep is huge, but especially for the
youngest among us. Quality of sleep and
regular sleeping hours are crucial to proper development.
Eating right is crucial.
Fruit. Vegetables. No sodas.
Avoid sugary drinks. Sweet
tea? I think not. Whole grain foods. Lean meats.
Dress it up. Don’t add sodium but
there are lots of ways to make food tastier.
Never eat in front of the TV. Ever.
Again, you can’t put a burger and fries on your plate and
tofu and broccoli on your kid’s plate. It just won’t work. Obese children
become obese adults and then comes all the health problems that shorten your
life and lessen the quality of your life—heart disease, diabetes, cancer.
But accept your child at any weight. Build their self-esteem
while teaching them the value of the big three—proper nutrition, regular
exercise, sufficient sleep. If the lessons are learned, they will be OK.
It wasn’t a problem when my kids were growing up, but screen
time is definitely a problem these days.
I often see neck problems among teenagers from looking down at their
phone all day. The research is clear—too
much screen time is bad for you and bad for your child. Period.
Smoking? That one’s easy. No one wants their child to smoke
but 2nd hand smoke is almost as dangerous. And if you smoke, there’s a good chance your
kid will too. Someday.
Health literacy is important. Talk to your kids about why it is important
to do all these things. Talk about
healthy living. Share meals together. Talk the talk but walk the walk. Your
kids deserve that much.
