I remember when my daughter was 3 and played soccer on a team for the first time. It was so exciting to see her running and smiling for an hour, getting her heart rate up, building muscles, and improving her self-esteem. But then, a well-meaning parent and coach supplied donuts and sugary drinks as a reward. 

This can send a conflicting message and can set up a difficult pattern of behavior to break; creating a mindset of  "I can reward myself with fat and sugar after physical activity”.

This may be one reason so many adults suffer with weight issues, and seem to be locked into an emotional eating pattern that can sabotage attempts at good health. But there are ways to break this pattern and set our kids up for success.

Watch a video on encouraging kids to be healthy with Peter K

Make It Real & Have Fun
My prime motivation for being healthy is to be the best role model for my kids in order to give them the opportunities, knowledge and self-confidence I never had. For me, that’s a compelling reason to stay fit – inside and out.

Kids model what they see. So, I do my workouts in front of mine as often as possible. They’re intrigued and always try to copy what I’m doing. It also creates the opportunity to answer questions from my 4-year-old like, “Daddy, why you do that?” I can reply, “Because I love you and want to be strong and healthy so we can do great things together!” Or, I can show my daughters how good form and balance will help them be better dancers, which will increase their confidence on and off the stage.

We can make physical activity and eating healthy fun, by getting outside with them or down on the floor and teaching them the benefits of eating healthy, in a way that makes sense to them: You’ll run and jump higher making you a better athlete or dancer, and have more mind power to ace an exam. Empowering our children with the benefits of eating well and being physically active is a great gift to give them.

Be a Cheerleader and Give Them a Choice & Voice

The best way to get kids to be “healthy” is to lead by example. Show and tell them why eat healthy food for fuel and train your body for strength and endurance; they get it. Make a healthy lifestyle fun and appealing instead of complaining about diets and exercises we hate. 

Here Are 5 Great Ways to Help Them: 

1.     Be a great role model
Get excited about looking and feeling great and share that enthusiasm with the children in your life.  Grumbling about having to eat salad and hating exercise teaches kids they should feel the same, and it becomes negative. When introducing them to a new food say, “You’re not going to believe how good this tastes”, or “I learned this really cool new move, do you think you can do it?” Remember, kids pay attention to everything you say and do, even when you think they don’t. Every meal and playtime is an opportunity to mentor them toward empowerment and great health.

2.     Teach them to eat for purpose:
Telling them to eat and exercise to be healthy is too abstract. Ask them what they love most and what they want to accomplish. When they tell you they love to play basketball, dance, do math equations or be with friends, tell them how eating certain foods will help them be smarter, faster, stronger and more confident. Educate kids about how poor foods and sedentary lifestyles will hurt them, and tie it into real life examples; people they know who are sick or ill because of their lifestyle choices. This can be done respectfully and non-judgmentally.

3.     Teach them about serving sizes and food labels
I don’t know about you, but I was never taught what a serving size was and why it matters. Teach your kids to read food labels so they are less likely to overeat. This will also educate them to make choices about how much food is enough on their own. Tell them to take the serving size out of the package and then put the package away, or order one pizza slice and if they’re hungry they can have more. Also teach them to identify ingredients they should avoid, like refined sugars, artificial colors and additives, trans fats, artificial sweeteners, and preservatives.

4.     Include them in decision making
When you’re making your grocery list or planning family activities, ask them what foods they want and what they like to do.  Depending on how they answer, direct them toward healthier alternatives to chips and cookies and real life adventures to substitute TV and video games.  Always give them a choice but make sure the choices align with good health. This will let them know they have a voice and are part of living a healthy lifestyle.

5.     Let them help cook or design a fitness program
Get over the stress of a messy kitchen and let kids help prepare meals. They love to get their hands into ingredients and it’s an opportunity to teach them nutrition. Include them in making grocery lists and meal decisions while guiding them toward healthy foods. Let them plan what physical activity they want to do like obstacle courses or pushup contests. Let them tap into their creative juices and support their decisions.

This is our chance as parents, role models and mentors to share our values and help the kids in our lives to become empowered and embrace a healthy lifestyle. Keep it fun, make it about them, and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Peter K MS, PT is an International Health Coach, Nutritionist, Physical Therapist, Speaker and Author.  He’s also been called, “The Missing Link”, in corporate wellness.  As an expert for the media, he has appeared on ABC, FOX, MSN, TLC, Blogtalkradio and in Fitness magazine. He’s the creator of the 5 Minutes to Fitness+ Program & Online Club, a revolutionary lifestyle program for achieving optimal health, which has been featured on QVC and FOX, and designed to motivate & guide those wanting to lose weight and be healthy. His clients include: celebrities, “Fortune 100″ companies, non-profit organizations and individuals who have made incredible changes in their work, life, health and happiness starting with just 5 minutes a day.

Visit his web site: www.PeterKFitness.com.