Nicki Anderson, a health and fitness advocate for over 20 years now, fitness columnist of Chicago’s Daily Herald, and author of the book Reality Fitness: Inspiration for Your Health and Well-Being, recently shared her pointers, as a mother of four, for a healthier family to eDiets.com, where she is a frequent contributor.
• Healthy Habit 1 – Lose the "hurry up" habit and opt for some downtime instead. This attitude promotes grabbing food on the go. The problem also with always rushing is that it prevents two important things from happening more regularly. First, family meals are less prevalent because everyone is in a hurry. Second, healthy meals and snacks are scarce because being on the go limits options when it comes to making healthy snacks and meals. Stress also compounds when everything is hurried, a sure recipe for disease.
• Healthy Habit 2 – Get in the habit of reinforcing good health versus condoning the search for perfection. There is a natural tendency for mothers, especially those who were never petite, to want that for their daughters just like skinny fathers would like their sons to be athletic.
Nicki explains, "(By) trying to help them ‘fit in’ with what’s popular right now, you’re missing out on a great opportunity to help them embrace their body and come to terms with their true self. It is heartbreaking when I have a mom that brings her daughter in and asks that I help her lose weight when clearly the daughter is bright, beautiful, and genetically designed not to be small or petite. Yes, it’s a shame that right now the Lindsay Lohans of the world are setting the standard for body shape. But don’t you think it’s our job as their parent to teach them that it is not normal?"
• Healthy Habit 3 – Make it a habit to prepare foods at home or opt for healthier fast food choices. While fast food joints are a godsend when you are swamped with office work and do not have the time to prepare a good dinner, it is not so wise to be hooked on the convenience. In fairness though, more chains are now offering healthier options. I guess the pressure increases when you are not a great cook (like me) and you don’t have a cook to rely on (like Susan in Desperate Housewives).
• Healthy Habit 4 – Do not use food as a reward, find other options. A lot of parents are guilty of this. How many times do we tell our kids that we will give them chocolate or bring them to their favorite fast food chain if they do something good? At an early age, children think of food as a gratification for good behavior. This is a habit that can go on when the child becomes an adult.
• Healthy Habit 5 – Instead of stressing weight, stress healthy choices. It’s funny to hear six- and seven-year-old girls say that they are too fat. Sometimes, the changes in body are only due to puberty and growth spurt. The notion that kids are fat only comes from comparing themselves to their favorite TV and movie stars. Educate your children that there are better indicators of health, such as having the ideal blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, etc. Stress that as long as one eats a balanced diet and exercises enough, and as long as one does not get sick often, then one should be happy.
• Healthy Habit 6 – Create a weekly activity goal. It is almost imperative, especially if the weekdays are less active, to delve into sports on weekends. It wouldn’t hurt also, says Nicki, if you create an activity chart for each child. The one with the most hours spent biking, jogging, swimming or playing in the garden gets the chance to choose the weekend family activity.
• Healthy Habit 7 – Get in the habit of being an active parent. A lot complain that they do not have enough time or money, but there are so many free things you can do such as brisk walk in the park. Dismissing the value of health and well-being for us parents sends the wrong signal to our children.
• Healthy Habit 8 – Get in the habit of discussing regularly with your children realistic body images. Billboards and glossy magazines declare every day how ideal and perfect bodies should look like. We should explain to our children that different people have different frames and no matter what one does, some people cannot look like the Hollywood star they idolize. They should be encouraged to eat balanced meals, exercise, and enjoy their youth.
• Healthy Habit 9 – Get in the habit of teaching your kids to be fit for life. According to Nicki, while most of us were active back in our youth, the same type of activities did not find their way into our adult lives.
• Healthy Habit 10 – Follow the 80/20 rule. Nicki clarifies, "Of all the things I teach my clients, the 80/20 rule is probably the most valuable. Basically, the 80/20 rule means that 80 percent of the time you should exercise and eat well and 20 per cent of the time is your margin of error. The reality of life is that we can’t always be dedicated to working out or always want to stick to fruits and vegetables. There are times in life when a good old-fashioned ice cream sundae sounds good, and you know what? You should be able to have it. The same holds true with exercise. Though we should exercise most days of the week, there are some days when intentional exercise just doesn’t happen, and that’s okay. The 80/20 rule allows us to be mindful of healthy living without being unrealistic. Sometimes, we’ll get ourselves into a place where it’s all or nothing and oftentimes that leads to inconsistency. If you believe that you have to abstain from certain foods all the time, you’re setting yourself up for failure. However, if you and your family follow the 80/20 rule, you are setting the course for a balanced lifestyle. It’s real life and something everyone can follow."
• Healthy Habit 11 – Help your kids develop a healthy cooking habit. Let them be part of meal planning and even meal preparation. I also taught my kids how to read food labels.
"It’s an overabundance of any food that causes weight gain and it’s more important to teach kids about 80/20 and that having an ice cream or brownie once in a while isn’t the end of the world. In fact, the less you place the emphasis on what they can’t have, the less likely they will be to obsess over those food choices," she adds.
• Healthy Habit 12 – Learn to say "no" to your kids. "In a society where kids are becoming less active and eating more processed foods, we need to help them make better choices. In order to develop habits that will perpetuate a higher quality of life for our kids as well as for ourselves we need to say no; no to an overabundance of junk food, no to hours upon hours in front of the computer, no to eating in front of the TV, no to soda at every meal.
Stay happy and healthy!