family wellness
By Cheryl Maguire
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pril 20-24 is Every Kid Healthy Week which was created to celebrate school health and wellness achievements. Every Kid Healthy events promote healthy eating, nutrition education, physical activity, and physical education. A child’s health encompasses physical, mental and social well-being. It is important to maintain good overall health in children so they grow and develop appropriately. My grandfather used to say,“if you have your health you have everything.” If you and your child are healthy, you will have more energy, lower medical costs, improved moods, and live longer. Here are some ways to promote healthy habits within your child: Create a Bedtime Routine and Regular Bedtime: Sleep helps your brain function properly which improves learning. Studies show sleep deficiency increases the risk of obesity, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Receiving the proper amount of sleep promotes appropriate growth and development, improves social interactions and increases immunity against diseases. 28 family wellness
NIH recommends school-age children and teens should sleep for 9-10 hours per night. Bad sleep habits will affect both your physical and emotional health. One way to ensure your child is receiving enough sleep is to create a scheduled bedtime based on when they need to wake up in the morning. If you maintain the same bedtime every night it will be easier to fall asleep and create a healthy habit. Another way to help your child receive the proper amount of sleep is to have a bedtime routine a half-hour before the expected sleep time. This routine will help your child relax which would then lead to falling asleep easier. Some suggested bedtime routines are reading, a warm bath, drawing, listening to soothing music or other calming activities. Read Food Labels: According to the CDC childhood obesity has more than tripled since 1970. Childhood obesity has both short and long term effects on a child’s physical, social and emotional health. For this reason, it is important for a child to maintain a healthy weight. Reading and understanding food labels is a way for a child to figure out if a food is healthy to eat. The food label will demonstrate the number of calories, sugar, fat content and suburban family | subfam.com
also break down the percent of the recommended daily intake to help create a balanced diet. It also helps to become more aware of what you are eating since you might think a food is healthy only to learn it isn’t after reading the food label. You can find free printable worksheets to help your child understand a balanced diet here. Exercise with Your Kids: The CDC recommends children and teens should be physically active for 60 minutes per day. The physical activity should include aerobic, strengthening and bone strengthening activities. If you exercise with your child and select something you both view as fun, you will be more likely to do it. Some suggested family activities are walking, running, hiking, dancing, biking, and a workout class or video. Create a weekly scheduled routine to incorporate it into your life which would create a healthy habit. Limit Screen Time: Screen time consists of watching television, playing video games or using electronic devices. When a child is in front of a screen they are typically sedentary and not interacting with others. A research study at UCLA found when kids have too much screen time they have difficulty understanding other people’s emotions. Dr Leonard Epstein studied the effects of limiting screen time in March/April 2020
