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January 19, 2010
Fitness and Health is a Family Matter
•Set a schedule for meals to discourage all-day grazing. Always have fresh fruits and vegetables readily available as a snack.
•Eat at the table, as a family. Use the time to share news and tell stories.
•Don't eat in front of a television or computer. This leads to fast, mindless eating.
•If you're trying to undo unhealthy habits, either your own or your child's, start slow. Introduce a healthy, and possibly unfamiliar, food along with something familiar. And never focus on a child's weight.
Get moving
•Experts agree on the biggest deterrent to physical activity: screen time. Limit the number of hours your child watches TV or plays on the computer. If you want an active child, set a positive example by being active yourself. Find fun activities the family can do together. Exercise should never be a punishment or chore.
•Can't afford a gym or class? Emphasize activity, not exercise, especially among younger children. Free-play activities, such as playing hide-and-seek, tag or jump-rope, also burn calories and improve fitness.
•Celebrate a birthday, holiday or other special day with a physical activity — a trip to the zoo, arboretum or botanical garden — instead of a calorie-laden meal.
•Rally the families in your neighborhood for a game of touch football or tag at the local park. If it's too cold outside, crank up the stereo and dance around the living room with your kids.
Posted by Lisa at January 19, 2010 10:06 AM
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