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Healthy Habits It’s the Daily Things That Count! | The #1 Role Model is You | Physical Activity | Healthy Eating
The #1 Role Model is YouBe the role model for healthy living because your kids are watching! They are more influenced by what you do than what you say. Kids learn by seeing how you behave and following your example. Ask yourself a few questions to see if you are a #1 role model:
So be the #1 healthy living role model by taking time for you and your family to enjoy physical activity and healthy eating every day. Don’t forget to accentuate the positive by praising and encouraging your child’s healthy lifestyle choices.
Physical ActivityWalking, biking, swimming, yoga, dancing, pilates, tai chi, aerobics, hiking, martial arts – Oh my! There are so many ways to be physically active, have fun, and benefit your family’s health! The City of Hamilton has a rich array of places to get the daily things that count, including:
Why should my family be active?Here’s why - daily physical activity helps:
Do your kids get enough daily physical activity?Health Canada’s Physical Activity Guide to Healthy Active Living for Children (6-9 years old) and Youth (10-14 years old) recommendations 90 minutes of daily physical activity. The recommendations state that children get 60 minutes of moderate (ex. brisk walking, bike riding) and 30 minutes of vigorous (ex. running, soccer) physical activity each day. If your children are already doing this – great! If your kids don’t get this much daily physical activity, unfortunately they are in the majority. Nine out of 10 Canadian kids don’t get enough daily physical activity. With all the family responsibilities these days, physical activity often becomes neglected. Don’t get discouraged, there are great, easy ways to incorporate physical activity into your day. As a bonus, doing these activities together will provide quality time as a family! Is there a way to measure your child's physical activity?Yes! One way to measure your child’s physical activity level is to count how many steps your child takes in a day. No, we don’t expect you to follow your child all day counting each step. Luckily, you can use a pedometer to do that! A pedometer is a small electronic device with a mechanical sensor that counts how many steps a person takes. A pedometer senses the vibrations of your feet hitting the pavement or the movement of hips and uses these to move the counter forward. A pedometer can help to assess the physical activity level of your child. To help achieve a health benefit:
Kids should gradually increase their steps by approximately 2000 steps daily. Encourage your kids to meet daily physical activity recommendations of 16,500 steps. Better yet, take those steps together as a family so all of you get the health benefits of physical activity! For more information about pedometers, click here for a copy of Pedometers - Make Every Step Count! Or visit http://www.active2010.ca to take the pedometer challenge. Use the Physical Activity Tracker - Move and Improve!
Whether it is the number of steps they walk per day, or some other
activities, your children can track their progress using the
Physical Activity Tracker - Move and Improve! on this website. They
can track their activity online (coming soon!) or
download a PDF file. As well, you
can get a paper copy of the Physical Activity (PA) Tracker by
calling the Nutrition and Physical Activity Line – (905) 546 -3630. Tips To Get Them Moving!
Tips to Move Every Month!
Reward Success!Reward your children for becoming more active. Take them to a park you have never been to before, go for a family hike and picnic, or enjoy a family swim at your local recreation centre. Daily physical activity is now part of their healthy lifestyle! Consider a reward system for earning bonus points Be a Physical Activity Role Model
How Can You Help?Being active as a family is a great, healthy way to spend time together and role model the importance of including physical activity into your life! As a parent, you are responsible for:
Activities to try with your kids:
Get your copy of Canada’s Physical Activity Guide for Children and Youth and Canada’s Physical Activity Guide for Adults at www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/pau-uap/paguide Set habits while children are young and have fun being physically active together every day!
Healthy EatingCanadians have a guide to help them learn about healthy eating. It is called Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide. The guide describes the amount of food people need and the type of food to include as part of a healthy eating pattern. Following the eating pattern in Canada’s Food Guide will help your family:
Visit www.canadafoodguide.org to get a copy of Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide. Use the interactive tool, Create My Food Guide, to build a customized guide for each member in your family. Does your family have a healthy eating pattern? To see if you and your family meet the recommendations in Eating Well with Canada’s Food guide, use the Eatracker tool on the Dietitians of Canada website, www.dietitians.ca. The Eatracker provides personalized feedback on a person’s total intake of calories and essential nutrients and compares this to recommendations for their age, gender, and activity level. Food Guide Serving Sizes Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide provides information about the four food groups and serving sizes. The amount of food that a person eats in a meal or snack may be more or less than one Food Guide Serving. A Food Guide Serving is simply a reference amount to help you and your family understand how much food is recommended every day from each of the food groups. For more information about serving sizes, click here for a copy of Know Your Serving Size. A Parent’s Role in Healthy Eating Believe it or not, but you’re the one who decides what food come into your kitchen! You’re responsible for what, when, and where food is provided to your kids. Let your kids choose what to eat and how much from the healthy choices you offer. Super Size Nutrition with Home-made Meals! Did you know that eating together at home as a family increases the chances that your kids will have a healthy weight? It’s true! Whether your kids are at a healthy weight or on the overweight side, it’s a good idea to get them interested in healthy foods. Enjoying a variety of healthy, nutritious foods as a child or teen bodes well for them carrying these healthy habits into adulthood. So where do you start? One of the best ways to encourage an interest in nutritious food is to invite kids into the kitchen. Spending time together in the kitchen and at the table doesn’t just mean a good-for-you meal. It gives them a sense of pride and accomplishment. They’ll think it’s just fun - you’ll know that they’re getting a good helping of learning as well. It’s no secret that good nutrition goes hand-in-hand with at-home cooking. When kids have a hand in what goes into a healthy recipe they are more likely to enjoy the results. And they learn to make better decisions about the food they eat. Plus, you get a helping hand in the kitchen. For those times when you’re rushed and do to go for fast food, click here for a copy of Serving Up Healthier Fast Food to help you make better choices. Recipe for cooking up fun and good food with your kids:
Simply Delicious and Nutritious Recipes Here’s the winning recipes from the 2007 Simply Delicious and Nutritious Vegetable & Fruit Recipe Contest sponsored by The City of Hamilton Public Health Services. These recipes are quick and easy – perfect for cooking with kids.
Cookbooks with kid-tested recipes:
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