Be cautious, little eyes are watching. Especially if you have children around. I love hearing from my clients when they tell me about their kids "working out" with random objects. "Look mom, I'm exercising!" as little Sally is swinging her playground ball back and forth. This gives me hope for the future of our kids. You can use this for motivation to get moving.
My fellow trainer, Holly Rigsby (www.FitFummyMummy.com), posted one morning that her son was planning out his day... School, -nap -play bingo -build Star Wars Lego's. I responded with a comment saying how awesome that was and asked if I could borrow him for a weeks worth of planning. Her reply was "Well he sees me do it every morning. Plus he has memorized my daily and weekly tasks that are posted on the wall. He is one bright kid!" This kid is destined for a great life. Not only does he have two great parents who work hard at what they do and spend quality time with their sun, he sees what they do and learns why they do it. These are awesome habits to have, and at such a young age too.
I have another client who unfortunately experienced a heart attack last year. The paramedics had to bring him back 3 times on the short ride to the hospital. Because of his working out, the damage to his heart was very minimal, he had a quick recovery and he is back to his normal routines. He had been trying to get his family to get on board with working out and they just wouldn't do it. After hearing that his working out helped save his life and get him back to normal quicker, he was able to get his two kids into working out and his wife has now joined the gym as well. His kids have seen him working out but didn't know the benefit of it until his heart attack. These kids have made a huge change in their lifestyle and will end up being very healthy people when they grow up.
Kids will pick up the habits of their parents. That is why diabetes seems to be hereditary when it is mostly lifestyle. They eat the same foods that their parents eat unless something happens, usually some sort of sickness, to change those behaviors. If you want to make sure they pick up the good habits, then you also need to show them the "why" of those habits. When the combination of seeing their parent do something with learning why it is good to do, they will be more likely to follow your footsteps. So when your child sees you working out or going to the gym, let them know what you are getting out of it. It can be as simple as "I am working out so I can spend more time with you as a healthy person."
If you want your kids to not pick up your bad habits... that is very simple... STOP doing them!
Remember, if you look out for yourself first, making sure you are fit and healthy, then your kids will be more likely to do the same and you will have more ability to be there for them for the rest of your life!
Make it a great day!
The Fitness Buff
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2 comments:
I've been thinking about this a lot lately as my kids get older. Not just with exercise, but with everything I do. I've been leaving work at work and when I'm home spending my time with them. Sometimes it's hard, but it's going well. Were you reading my mind?
Thanks for mentioning Tyler and his 'planning.' He's pretty incredible with picking up 'success' habits.
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