Healthy You for Life NewsletterWinter 2017
Benjamin Franklin once said “by failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” As a busy parent or student, having a plan is often the deciding factor in reaching your goals. In preparation, we go through the steps that will lead to our eventual success. It is when we dig in and do the hard work before the graduation, ceremony or party that paves the way for that celebration. In the path towards healthy eating, activity and emotional wellness we must prepare so that we can erase the worry of failure as we see our success as not simply a possibility but as reality.
The question then becomes: how do we prepare so that we can attain this success? Well, when your goals are to get good grades or the promotion at work you study, focus and put in the time and effort needed to reach that goal. However, when your goals are to make healthy meal and snack choices, exercise routinely or improve self-esteem, planning is still the key to success.
Eating on the Go
As a parent or older child/teenager you must planto include breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as plan for the snacks that are needed whether you are at home or on the go. Many of usget caught up in our daily routines for school and work andforget the importance of healthy nourishment and its vital role in our overall health. When we have a schedule so packed with activities that we forget to eat or give food it’s time in your schedule, we often end up with fast food orat a convenience store and the unhealthy options available at these places. Below are some tips to help making healthy eating easier while you are on the go.
- Create a weekly menu to include breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Review school menus together if breakfast and/or lunch at school
- Post weekly menu for dinner for all to see
- Keep snacks in the car
- Non-perishables like fruit cups in 100% juice, whole grain crackers, dried fruit, natural nuts, applesauce
- Water, water, water
- Keep water bottles in the car and refillable water bottles with everyone at all times
- Food safety and food storage
- Keep a cooler with perishable snacks for long road trips like baby carrots, apples, celery sticks, cheese sticks, grapes, oranges, individual yogurts
Screen time
As we plan and prepare for success in our health goals one of the biggest hurdles kids face is screen time. We live in a time when most kids not only have a television but also a tablet, computer, and cell phone. Kids are used to having a screen available and on almost all the time and we know that the more time kids spend in front of screens the less time they are active. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends for children older than 2 years that you limit screen use to no more than 1 hour or less per day of high-quality programming.This limit is to include not only television but also all cell phone, tablet and computer time. Some ways to help incorporate these screen limits are below:
- Designate media-free times together (e.g., family dinner) and media-free zones (e.g., bedrooms).
- Children should not sleep with devices in their bedrooms, including TVs, computers, and smartphones.
- Avoid exposure to devices or screens for 1 hour before bedtime.
- Discourage entertainment media while doing homework.
- Turn off televisions and other devices when not in use
Positive Affirmations and Self Esteem
As parents, we want the best for our children and want them to have success, but did you know one of the best ways we can prepare them for success is to help them develop positive self-beliefs? Positive affirmations are simply positive words children (or adults) say to and about themselves which help develop positive feelings towards themselves. In a world where bullying is a real threat for some children, we want our children to be strong and resilient so that they can challenge the negatives others say about them.We want them to know who they are and where their strengths lie. The more an affirmation is repeated, positive or negative, the stronger it becomes. In a situation clouded by negativity, it can take nearly six positive comments for every negative one to counteract the negativity.Start by having your child practice looking at themselves in the mirror and repeat some “I AM” statements that describe them. Examples include: I AM kind, I AM lovable, I AM brave, I AM complete, I AM worthy, I AM a winner, I AM beautiful, I AM friendly, I AM intelligent, I AM truthful, I AM gratefuland I AM awesome. The more they repeat these “I AM” instead of “I CAN” or “I CAN'T” statements, the more they will build positive self-esteem and confidence and help them see their goals are attainable.
As winter comes to an end and Spring is around the corner below are some road trip snack ideas as you venture out after the winter season!
1.Water
2. Fresh fruit (bananas, apples, pears, grapes, oranges, etc.)
3. Fresh Vegetables (carrots, celery, grape tomatoes, etc.)
4. Cheese sticks
5. Trail Mix
6. Whole Wheat Crackers
7. Nuts
8. Applesauce
9. Whole grain Granola Bars
10. Popcorn
11. Dried Fruit (dried apricots, craisins, raisins, etc.)
12. Cereal or Granola
13. Pretzels