Helping Your Child Be Healthy and Fit

The following collect information from dieticians, teachers and physicians. These are their opinions:

Habits that include eating nutritious foods and understanding the relationship between physical and emotional health will help your child grow up healthy. Your child?s ability to learn and the chances for a longer and more productive life can be greatly improved by developing and following good health practices.

First of All, Your Child Is Special
The mental and emotional health of your child is just as important as physical health. From the earliest moment, a child needs to feel that he or she is special and cared about by family members and friends.

A child who enjoys good mental and emotional health is able to approach new situations with confidence. When children are comfortable with themselves, they can express their emotions in a positive way. As children learn to value themselves and develop confidence in their ability to make responsible decisions, they are building a sense of self-worth or self-esteem.

Parents and teachers share the responsibility for helping children build self-confidence. A child who is confident is more successful in everyday interactions with peers and adults. Confidence in one?s ability to learn new and difficult skills can affect future achievement, as well. Developing a trusting relationship with your child, establishing open communication, and recognizing personal achievements are all important. When children know they can do something well, it makes them feel special.

From the time your child is born, there are ways in which you can help your child learn how to grow up healthy. This activities help children:
* understand their emotions and build self-esteem; eat the right foods; * prevent disease;
* and build strong bodies.

Does This Mean I Can?t Eat Ice Cream?
Good nutrition does not mean that your children cannot eat their favorite foods or that they must eat foods they do not like. Good nutrition means variety and moderation in a person?s diet. Choosing what foods to eat is important in pursuing a healthy life. Your children may choose to eat certain foods because they taste good or because they are available. Make nutritious foods available and monitor the 'sometimes' foods--sugary snacks and fatty desserts.

Good health is a blend of physical and emotional well-being. Exercises are basic elements of physical fitness that should be part of play.

Aerobic exercises, such as jogging or jumping, that increase the heartbeat, strengthen the heart and muscles, improve endurance, condition the total body, and help prevent disease. Anaerobic, slow, stretching exercises improve flexibility and muscular fitness. Both types of exercise are important and fun.