Heart Healthy Tips For a Healthy Home

Heart Healthy Tips For a Healthy Home

Good and early heart friendly habits can last a lifetime. I will share with you some heart healthy tips to help you get started with ways to teach your children about nutrition and eating well for the heart. You can help your kids develop nutritious and healthy habits early in life that are sure to give lifelong benefits. As parents, it's high time that we encourage our children to evaluate their physical activity habits and food choices.

Here are some heart healthy tips to help you get on the right track:

1. First, it's important for you to be a good role model. While you don't need to be perfect at all times, but if your children can see you make an effort to be physically active and to eat right, they will be sure to take note of your efforts. The message that you will convey is that great health is essential to your family.

2. Get your entire family moving! Schedule outings so that everyone in the family can get moving together. Ride bikes, take walks, garden, play hide and seek outside, or go swimming. Every family member will benefit from the time together and the exercise.

3. Keep things positive. It's a fact: children don't like to hear what they cannot do. So tell them what they can accomplish instead. Keep things positive and fun. Remember that everyone likes to be praised and be given a pat on the back for a job well done. As you celebrate your kids' successes, you are helping them develop a good self-image.

4. Don't forget to be realistic. One of the keys to adopting a new behavior is setting realistic limits and goals. Gradual changes and small steps can make a huge difference to your health in time, so take baby steps, start small and build up from there.

5. Encourage kids to try physical activities or sports that they will really enjoy. You are bound to make anything a habit if you enjoy doing it. Keep in mind that each child is unique. Allow your kid to experiment with various activities until such time they find something that they enjoy doing. As I have mentioned, they will surely stick with it if they love it.

6. Make dinnertime a time for family. Once everyone sits down to eat for dinner, there will be less chance of kids snacking excessively or eating the wrong foods.

Keep in mind these heart healthy tips. Get your children involved with planning and cooking meals. This way, every family member will develop good eating habits together. Good quality time with the family is a huge bonus too!