Why Children & Exercise

Children learn via copying. They absorb information and stimulus from their environment and mimic the things they see around them. This is how children learn to walk, talk, and carry out tasks themselves. 

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I actively encourage parents to involve their children in positive healthy habits. Never mind how difficult it can be to find child care so that busy parents can exercise. I want to help remove a barrier to exercise and allow your children to witness you doing something healthy and positive. Because, ultimately, the habits YOU have are the ones that YOUR child will copy and learn. 

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In my mind it's better that the children see you working out, preparing and cooking healthy meals and having positive mental health, body image and self-esteem rather than seeing you comfort eat sweets in front of a box set each and every night! (Not saying we can't do both, but all in good balance).

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The children growing up today will be so expoused to social media which can be very conflicting, I don't need to tell you that. The volume of information that's not entirely correct, can be difficult for a child or teen to navigate. I mean how many times have you scrolled through a platform like Instagram and seen 'weight loss tea', or 'booty band workout for a peachy bum'? These adverts are often published with fairly unrealistic, often edited images to accompany them. Children don't need further challenges to navigate in this modern society, images that can impact their mental health or their perceived ideas of reality or expectations of how they should look, be, or the foods they should eat.

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From the early days what you can do is try to encourage your children to be active, and enjoy physical exercise in a fun, yet positive way. You can cook and prepare healthy, balanced meals and treats together. You can encourage open communication, where your children are aware of mental health and how it's okay not to be okay. These are all positive things you can encourage from the off, preventing children from being drawn into the online world of fad teas and military diets. A balanced, sustainable lifestyle will help with resilience and enable your children to navigate what can be tricky.

So why not get the kids involved, yes there can be tantrums, and yes it can take a bit longer, but surely it can be a fun, positive activity for the whole family. Grab the kids their little dumbbells; believe me, they will copy everything you do!