What is being healthy?

A good balanced lifestyle will help children grow physically and mentally. A healthy body develops a healthy mind. 

What is being healthy? 

Looking after your child's health involves lots of aspects - diet, lifestyle, exercise and environment.

Diet

Providing children with a varied diet can be very hard when children are fussy. 

Develop meal plans that help you to cook hearty fresh meals.  Use supermarket magazines to help you with cooking different meal options and keep the children happy.  

Children can become very repetitive with their food choices which is fine as long as they are getting the right snacks to accommodate if their meal choices are not including a varied plate of food. 

Children have fads and go through periods where they love one particular type of food encouraging children to put other things on their plate is a battle but there are many ways to ensure food does not become a battle ground and the relationship with food is good.

Hiding vegetables in dishes is a way to encourage your child to eat their vegetables - bolognese, soups, stews, curries, casseroles all include vegetables and spices that children do not really think about because they do not see them visually.  Add flavour to vegetables and use seasonal food to encourage your child to try something different.  Try to introduce new foods as an additional  side dish or treat rather than a main meal.  Some children thrive on routine and knowing what they are having everyday whilst others are happy to have a change.  You can see what works with your family and then plan ahead and have weekly menus if it helps with buying, prepping and cooking.  

Variety is the key, encourage your child to develop good food habits.

Exercise

Encourage your child to be active.  There are many ways to keep active together.  Walking to school or enjoying a game of catch in the garden can become a regular routine. 

Develop a routine where you have time to play and take being active a part of the weekly routine. 

Lifestyle 

Our busy lifestyles can be very stressful and can make us feel tired or exhausted.  Giving our bodies time to relax mentally and physically is a major part of growing and encourage well-being. 

Children have a very busy school day so encourage a bit of time out in the evening or weekends is essential.  

Encourage your child to have techniques that they can use when they feel like they need time-out - watching tv, reading, drawing, listening to music, playing with their toys, going for a walk or to the park, playing outside, writing, sports, there a many more activities that you can do for your child to develop good relaxation techniques.  

Environment 

Our environment has a huge impact on our health.  We are very lucky to have a wide range of parks, play areas and activities around us.  Encouraging our children to appreciate the landscape around us and value the impact of being able to walk to the park and play outside is vital to our health in terms of physical and mental.   

There are a number of resources, videos and websites that can help families provide a healthy lifestyle.  We have listed a few below and we will keep adding others.