Teaching Kids About Health

"Children come into this world very pure. It is up to the adults to help them stay bright, strong and healthy." ~ H. H. Sri Swami Satchidananda

If we ask ourselves, “What does good health mean?” we would probably get answers like this: Eat a well rounded diet, get 8 hours of sleep per night, don’t smoke, stay hydrated (drink a lot of water!), limit our junk food intake, reduce stress in our lives, exercise, and practice cleanliness.

As adults we've had enough experience to know that if we don’t get enough sleep at night we will definitely pay for the next day. We also know that skipping meals might result making unhealthy food choices. As parents, we can tell our kids these lessons, but unless we lead by example they will only learn from our unhealthy habits.

Living a healthy life (and teaching health to our kids) is a lifelong practice. It would be quite impossible to completely over-haul your entire life – so pick one or two healthy areas to focus on and start there. You will much more successful if you set realistic health goals. Remember, practice makes perfect and your kids will soon begin to follow your lead.