Our children learn by example, and as parents we are their prime examples of how to eat, stay fit, and reach our full potential. With the beginning of a new year and all of the resolutions we make, do any of your resolutions promote more than just a healthier you? Have you considered how to create a healthier family? Small lifestyle changes can make a large difference in your life and your family’s. These are the crucial years that children begin habit forming behavior, and we have to teach them to choose wisely in their daily lives by choosing better in our own lives.
This post was sponsored by Boys & Girls Clubs of America as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
I feel better when the healthy choices I make also benefit my family. As a mother, I often put my needs on the back burner which isn’t productive while trying to pursue my resolutions. However, I have realized that if I make my resolutions about the whole family being healthier and staying active, I am more likely to reach my goals. I am also teaching my family how to live a better life. This has lead me to choose family outings to get my exercise in and incorporating family cooking competitions where we each make a healthy dinner and vote on the best dish. Then, the winner gets to pick a family activity. We also make an effort to be more active within our community to strengthen our emotional and mental health as well.
We create weekly and monthly goals and check in with each other to see how we are doing. Each of us works to come up with ideas for activities and be the voice of reason when one of us would rather eat pizza and watch tv. It isn’t always easy, but working together provides a network of support which also helps promote stronger relationships and problem solving skills. It is important to get creative and use all the resources we can get our hands on to make better decisions. The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to assess your family and how your daily actions affect your family as a whole. Living a better life is possible, and it is important so that your kids have the tools to build their own healthy lives. It will make them stronger, more capable, healthier, and more likely to succeed. Are you doing all you can to insure they will be able to make the right decisions even when you aren’t there to pester them into eating their veggies and doing their homework? If not, now is the time to help them achieve a better future.
While we try to devote more time to living a healthier life, it can be difficult with so many daily demands. Those days when you have to work late or when you have to be away from your family, do you have a plan to stick to your goals and avoid the pitfalls of tv and junk food? When you can’t be there for your kids, will they make good decisions on their own? So many families today have two working parents and children are left on their own after school, and they don’t always make the healthiest or smartest choices. This is why the Boys and Girls Clubs of America are determined to promote healthier lifestyles for kids across the country. They offer club programs and services to promote and enhance the development of boys and girls by instilling a sense of competence, usefulness, belonging and influence. In their never ending effort to help America’s youth, they provide the Triple Play program as an effective way to promote wellness in children.
Sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company and Anthem Blue Cross Foundation, Triple Play is a comprehensive health and wellness program that provides the children of BGCA the tools to make good decisions that will lead them down the right path to a better future. Focusing on small lifestyle changes at a young age, they encourage kids to be active participants in their health. The program uses three key elements to focus on:
- Mind: Providing a strong knowledge base for young people to learn sustainable healthy habits, the program focuses on making smart food choices, understanding appropriate portion sizes and creating fun and balanced meals.
- Body: Inspiring young people to become more physically active by participating in daily fitness that makes kids get up and move.
- Soul: Social recreation helps teach kids better interpersonal skills, positive behavior and good character that will help them as they interact with others.
Research has found that Triple Play has increased kids activity by encouraging them to engage in exercise for one hour or more at least 5 times a week and meet the recommended physical activity standards. It has also been shown to improve members’ feelings of control over their own lives and choices. Since its launch in 2005, this program is helping kids change their lifestyles and put them on track to brighter futures. It is currently available to over 4,000 Boys and Girls Clubs which serves over 4.2 million youth located within the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. It also available in domestic and international U.S. Military installations.
They also offer resources for parents to promote Triple Play at home and keep their kids motivated. The Triple Play Game Plan has information on basic nutrition and how it affects the body as well as how to make healthy food choices even when you are busy or away from the comforts of home. There are ideas for staying active and the importance of healthy social interaction and character building. Aside from physical health, learning to accept differences in ourselves and others teaches respect and stronger self worth which lends to overall health. As parents, we are the first line of defense for our children, and we have to guide them to responsible, healthy decisions. Discover Triple Play and how it could change the health of your family.
Find more information on the BGCA Triple Play Website, Facebook and Twitter.
This post was sponsored by Boys & Girls Clubs of America as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.