Are you a healthy role model?

Filed in archive Healthy Eating , Kids and sports on October 3, 2007

Most babies are a bit chubby and everyone think it´s cute. Grabbing a chubby baby´s cheeks and go "oh aren't you a chubby little sweetie" can be cute when the baby is six months old but what about when they are 6 years old or 16?

We can say that it's genetic and runs in our family and sure it can be that way. But most of the time it's not only the kids that are chubby/fat- it's the whole family.

I might step on someone's toes saying this but; it´s up to you as a parent to make sure your kids are healthy and not in the risk of becoming overweight.

I constantly talk about how I want my son to grow up and learn to respect people and everything around us. How he should be a happy and kind boy and grow up to be a responsible man.
So I try to teach him all those things; be polite, say thank you etc. Just like most parents.

But if I eat fatty foods all the time and never exercise then what kind of example am I to my son? I as a grown up know of all the risks that comes with being overweight. Heart diseases, high blood pressure, problems moving around, being tired, the list can be endless.

If I as a parent know this and I still don't take care of myself then how can I expect that my kids will grow up and live a healthy life? How can I wish that my kids live long and have a happy active life? I am not saying you are not happy if you are overweight but we all know how good it feels when you exercise regularly and eat well.



We parents try to teach our kids a lot but the main example comes from us. We are the ones to teach our kids what a healthy life is. The earlier you start the better. And don't think "well we are all a bit chubby that's just the way it is" because it's not. You can change that, it´s never too late to live an active healthy life. It's never too late to teach our children about the good things in life and see them grow up and become happy active adults.

Are you a good role model for your kids when it comes to leading a healthy lifestyle?