Safeguarding your kids health

If you're a parent, you worry about your kids health and well-being. You want your kids to grow up healthy and happy, but sometimes it seems like an uphill battle. Besides the colds, flus and other childhood illnesses, there are other issues that are ongoing. You hear about the epidemic proportions of childhood obesity in this country. Lack of adequate exercise combined with poor dietary habits, along with too many sodas and unhealthy snacks contributes. So what's a parent to do? Here are a few tips that help you nurture kids health and take a load off your list of worries.

It's never too early to start instilling healthy habits in your kids. Demonstrate by example. For snacks and beverages, choose fruit, yogurt, cheese and crackers, and juices. If a toddler gets used to receiving cookies, candy and sodas for between-meal fare, you'll have a hard time changing these habits later.

Other kids health issues can crop up as a result of these sugar fests. For example, tooth decay can begin early. Youngsters as young as six can become overweight, causing a lifelong struggle with weight management. So when the kids start saying how mean you are to deprive them, buck up. It is truly for the benefit of the kids health.

To encourage a habit of exercise, again, set the example. Take your kids for walks, go to the park, zoo or anywhere that walking is part of the activity. Team sports are a fun and vigorous activity which promotes good circulation and muscle development. If kids get used to being active, they'll want to continue to do so. Consistency ultimately wins.

Another good strategy is to teach kids about nutrition. Teach them about vitamins and minerals and what parts of the body they benefit. A little boy wants to be strong and agile. If he knows that protein builds muscle while fat simply adds fat to his body, he''s motivated to go for the protein. Pre-teens can be motivated to eat fruits and vegetables if they realize that the nutrients they contain will prevent a lot of pimples, whereas those tasty fries encourage excess oil in their skin and thus more pimples. Get a good nutrition guide and you can make your own home study course that's age appropriate. Your kids will enjoy showing off what they know to their friends. Your home kids health nutrition class can be fun for the kids, help combat peer pressure and build your kid's confidence in one fell swoop.

Your kids health depends on you, an awesome responsibility. If you consistently make exercise a part of every day's normal activity, encourage good eating habits and discourage excessive sweets in a low-key way, your kids will reap the benefits. Teaching your kids why certain foods are good for different parts of their bodies goes a very long way towards making them willing adherants to your cause. Kids do always ask "Why?", right? Here's your chance.