3 Easy Ways to Teach Your Kids the Nuances of Health and Fitness

Fitness for their kids is on the top priority list of most parents. However, simply worrying about their kids’ health and fitness is not enough. There are certain steps you need to take to make sure that your kids indeed remain healthy and fit throughout the year.

1. Be a good example yourself: If you ask your kids not to steal, but break open the locker of your house yourself for the purpose of stealing money, what message are you sending to your kids? Kids, as matter of fact, emulate others. When it comes to health, you need to walk the talk or your kids won’t pay heed to your advice.

I know a friend who keeps telling her kids that smoking is injurious for their health, that smoking can cause cancer, infertility, etc. Sound advice, I agree. The only twist in the tale is that the mother herself puffs away happily while giving this advice to her kids. Naturally, the kids look at her with confusion and incomprehension, and regard her advice as superfluous and insincere.

Unless you show yourself to be a good example to your kids, don’t expect your kids to abide by your health advice.

2. Show instead of telling: If you want your kids to discard junk foods and sugar-rich candies, show them that you really hate this stuff yourself. For example, if someone approaches you offering a candy, politely turn down the offer. Teach your kids by your actions rather than advice. Kids know only too well that it is easier to preach than practice; however if you really can succeed in doing both, your kids will follow whatever health advice you have to offer them.

3. Let your kids experience: If you don’t like your kids’ candy-eating habit but don’t know how to tackle the problem either, here is one piece of advice: let them learn the lesson the hard way. If your kids regularly eat candies, they would soon be down with either stomach ache or tooth ache. At this point of time tell them that they are suffering because of their addiction to candies. They will learn the lesson the hard way for sure, but the lesson would be ingrained in their mind forever.

Remember that teaching someone through experience is better than teaching them through words or visuals. Why else do you think your local car salesman lets you sit in the car and even drive it a little bit even before you have purchased it? It is because once you are convinced of the usefulness of the car through your own experience, you are more likely to buy it than otherwise.

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