The secret? The smart start young! Even with all the technological distractions these days it’s imperative that you begin to instill healthy habits in your child or teen’s regular routine. You teach a child that they have to brush their teeth whether they like it or not from a young age, and sure enough, because they know its important to their health, they do it the rest of their life. Now if we only did that with exercise and balanced nutrition! Well, I would like to pose the question Why not? And why not start today?

Step One: It’s irrelevant whether your child or teen is currently at a healthy weight or not.  They all need to learn about a balanced diet and the importance of physical activity (besides Guitar Hero).  Most importantly, do not discriminate between your children if one is a different weight or size than the other.  A healthy body image is instilled and doesn’t just magically appear.  Teach health equally and foster only positive emotions towards fitness and proper nutrition.

Step Two: Breakfast is a must!  No matter the age or the fuss they kick up about being picky or too busy to eat before catching the bus.  Choose a breakfast with a healthy source of protein, carbohydrate and fat for a well balanced meal that will support your child or teens: brain function, mood, metabolism and focus in school.  Ex. 1 whole omega egg with added whites (veggies are an added bonus) and either a piece of fruit on the go or throw those eggs over some whole grain toast.  In a super rush?  A scoop of dream protein blended for a minute with some frozen fruit and a small handful of almonds is fast and will have your child thinking they earned a smoothie treat.

Step Three: Prioritize your child’s busy schedule.  Don’t keep health on that back burner for when social clubs, art class and other after school activities are over.  Enroll your child in a fitness program where they will learn about strength, conditioning, healthy foods, discipline, team work, respect…and the list goes on and on.  Check out our programs here and allow your child or teen to watch and try one for free with no obligation.

Step Four: The teeth brushing rule- It is your direct responsibility as a caretaker to help keep your child consistent.  I don’t know any parent that purchases a tooth brush and doesn’t encourage and check that their child uses it regularly.  Do the same with their breakfast, training and positive reinforcement for a healthy body image.  They will thank you in the future with the same pearly smile.

Step Five: Start today!  Not after the school year or after camp or…you catch my drift.  Your child is growing NOW and learning NOW.  We can’t put that on hold so let’s not wait.  Take even the smallest step today by getting outside with your child or teen and going for a bike ride, walk ,or invite the neighborhood kids over for a back yard game of badminton.  Learning a healthy lifestyle can be really fun if you let it!

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After 10 weeks of consistent after school cardiovascular activity, children aged 7-11 experienced elevated moods and a decrease in levels of anger and hostility.  Experts believe that group fitness or training with family or peers, plays a key role in children developing into fit and happy adults.

Now it doesn’t take a genius to see this study expanding and holding  true not only for children 7-11 but for your teenagers and young adults as well.  Oh,  and on a side note, Guitar Hero (or other wii games) is not a suffiecient form of regular exericse.  It’s a step in the right direction for sedentary youths and teens but it shouldn’t be long before you upgrade your child to a group fitness program to reap the real health and social benefits of exercse!

Attainable-Something realistic and achievable.  It makes no sense to set yourself up for failure with drastic and over the top goals, especially when your just getting started.  Short term goals will keep you fresh and inspired by guess who….you!  Seeing yourself succeed is exactly what the doctor ordered to help you feel in control and motivated!

Believable-If you don’t actually think your capable of achieving what you set out to do, then The Mission IS Impossible.  Do you feel as though you’ve failed yourself time and time again?  Do you think you will be fat or out of shape forever?  Well you’re not destined to failure.  It’s much more likely that you just aren’t setting proper goals.  If you want REAL RESULTS for a LIFETIME, you need to start off by conquering simple goals one by one until you build your self esteem.  Along the way you will be moving closer and closer to the lifelong results you’re looking for at a pace that keeps you feeling in control and motivated.

Clear- Now this is important.  Your goals MUST be clear and measurable.  Share them with your personal trainer, family and friends so they can keep you accountable.  A good example of a clear goal would be eating a healthy breakfast consistent with your diet plan every single day.  Another example would be to add 20 minutes of cardio after every strength training session for this upcoming week.  Both goals are basic, simple and measurable.

The ABC’s of Goal Setting are applicable to EVERYONE.  No matter what your fitness level or training/nutrition experience-every journey big or small, begins with a single step.  So stop wishing for change and get started!