Every parent wants what is best for their children. Practicing sports since early ages, may it be just for fun, is a healthy way for children. This will prepare them for the future and will help them manage the challenges that come along their way.
There are various benefits both related to their health and their well-being as well. You can see these in the previous article.
However, now we will focus on how to educate children for sports and how to help them get that sense of responsibility in eating healthy while staying active. One cannot exist without another.
Healthy eating lifestyle
Any kid and teenager that wants to take up sport should have a healthy eating habit. This comes from their parents and this is where the responsibility comes in. If you want to prepare your child to take a sport or some, you should make sure he has a healthy eating lifestyle.
Proper nutrition is not good just for sporty people, but it is good for every aspect of the life. A healthy eating lifestyle will have positive effects on both studying and sports.
Healthy eating tips
- Choose healthy fats such as – vegetable oils, avocados, oily fish, nuts.
- Vitamins, minerals and iron can be found on lean red meat, turkey, fish, eggs, dark green vegetables
- Calcium can be found in low fat milk, yoghurt, puddings, cheese, nuts, fruit juice
- Water is the most important one when it comes to fluids.
Rules for a healthy lifestyle while being active
An active teen should have a very organized lifestyle and should know what they eat, how they eat, when they eat and what is good and what is bad for his body. The rules below are good to be followed both by young people as well as by parents; that are an example to their kids.
- Never skip a meal. This is important especially as for breakfast concerns. It is the most important meal of the day and it gives you the energy to continue the day in a positive mood. Make sure your child knows this and develops this sense of being responsible and never skipping a meal.
- Drink lots of water. Water is important for all the functions of the body. Make sure you have a bottle of water at hand all the time.
- Eat some protein daily. This is important for young active people as protein is the one that repairs the muscles and helps them grow.
- While carbohydrates are known to be bad foods, there are the good carbs that are a must throughout the day. They will give the needed energy to the muscles.
- Eat at least 5 portions of fruits and vegetables per day. This will give you the vitamin boost any healthy body needs.
- Take your daily intake of healthy fats. They will give you the energy to stay active.
- On the top of this, you should take enough sleep and rest. You could eat as healthy as you want, but with not enough sleep, your body will just cease under tiredness.
Parents know-how list
- It is important as a parent that you do not over exaggerate when trying to make your child love and practice sports. Sport should be regarded as a game and games usually are supposed to be fun. This is why pressure never works in trying to convince children of anything.
- Let your child see and decide for himself what is the best sport that he likes and he would enjoy practicing. Not every child should practice sport in a professional manner; moreover the vast majority do not take it as a profession, but practice it to stay active and all the other benefits it brings. Each one finds different benefits in sport.
- As a parent you should not be overprotective and be there every time he goes to practices. Let him be with the colleagues and the coach. Make sure you are present when there are important gams or competitions going on.
- As practicing sports is a very healthy way of living, parents should encourage their children to play, not to necessarily be in a competition.
- However, if he likes participating in competitions make him want to win, not just get comfy with losing. This should never be an option.
- Make sure you are the one that your child looks up to. Do not be a lazy couch potato if you want your child to take up some sport. Stay as active and healthy as you can.
An active teen girl should consume as much as 2400 calories per day while an active teen boy between 2800 and 3000 calories per day. These calories should not be randomly consumed, as there are bad and good things for the body to eat. The more bad food he eat, the less he is to give good results in his sport activities or any other field in life. Eating right will help your child perform at his best.
Make sure they take the proper carbs, has a warm meal like soup per day, eats healthy fats, takes the proper vitamins and minerals from the food and as well the proper calcium intake. All of this while drinking plenty of water. An important takeout for water, is not to wait until you are thirsty. Make sure your kids hydrate enough not to get to that point when they are thirsty.
Conclusion
Sports will raise many good qualities in a child even though he does not make out of this, his profession. Creating a healthy lifestyle and an environment that respects physical activity, will prove good for your child in time. It is important that a child is raised to eat healthy, to stay active and to respect his body. Tips above will help you as a parent educate your child in this regard.
With a right mindset even from the early ages, children will be more opened to practicing sports. Paving their way into educating about the connection between staying active and eating healthy; will prove to become a lifestyle for them in the future, without putting to much effort into this.
