Health and wellbeing for children - How to prepare your kids for a future of health

This is a collaborative post

Being a parent has many responsibilities. Perhaps one of the difficulties is taking responsibility for your child’s health and for their health in the future. Their early years can have a huge impact on their health later in life, so it is vital that parents instil healthy habits in their children so they grow to become healthy adults.

Begin With Baby Steps

Even with young children, you can start helping them to understand why their health is important and why they need to exercise. The habits your children begin the early parts of their life with will last them a lifetime. Setting an example is a good start. Let them see you taking care of yourself and keeping your body healthy, and they will take an interest. With a small child like a toddler, everything is ‘monkey see, monkey do’. They will want to replicate your actions and show you they can do it too. 

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The same goes for healthy foods. Bright-coloured vegetables and fruits can be off-putting to fussy kids, but when they see you enjoying them, their tune will suddenly change. Get them getting their five-a-day as soon as you can, and it will become a dietary habit that lasts them their lifetime.

Planning For Their Future

Medicine is experiencing a revolution in technology and data analysis. New techniques and methods are being designed and implemented that will make preventative care and personalised treatment the norm. Many of the diseases and medical issues we will experience in our lifetimes can be identified with gene sequencing, which can show doctors the problems we could have in the future.

This technology can be used to address diseases before they present themselves, DNA sequencing and genomic research can help you prevent medical problems for your child before they happen. Source BioScience laboratories support hospitals and research centres across the country using their next gen sequencing technology. Using this new technique helps you and your doctor prevent diseases and medical problems in your child before they happen. You can make dietary changes that will help reduce the risks of genetic diseases in the future. 

Fitness As A Family

Setting a health and fitness example for children can equip them with the healthy habits they will need to live a long and healthy life. They need to see you taking steps to maintain your fitness or address any health problems like excess weight. This simple step can have a massive impact on their lifetime health. If you cannot do it for yourself, do it for them.

Make exercise a family activity, even if it is only for a walk in the park. This is a fun afternoon out for kids, and they will enjoy themselves on the slides and swings, but you can also underscore for them that activity is a crucial component of daily life for adults as well as kids. The better a child understands their health and fitness, the fitter and healthier they will be when they are an adult.

Following these healthy steps will help your child grow to become an adult who looks after their health and maintains their fitness. Instilling healthy habits and performing advanced medical checks in your child almost guarantees they have the tools and knowledge they need to thrive in adulthood.

Photo credit Sue Zeng via Unsplash