I think one of the most important things we can do for our kids is helping them develop healthy habits right from the start. Raising healthy kids and teaching them to make healthy decisions is so important in this day and age. Think how much easier it would be to obtain health and feel good if we would have started out early on in life and it would have just been a normal part of our life. Everything to sleep habits, eating habits, drinking enough water and making healthy decisions starts right at birth. Get your kids in the groove by giving them some guidelines to live by.
There are many things we can teach our kids early on in life that will give them a good foundation to being their healthiest self. Below I have listed the things we have incorporated into our routine.
#1. It all starts with getting a good night sleep so we can wake up refreshed and ready for a new day. Get them on a routine of going to bed no later than 9:30. This will also depend on what time they have to get up in the mornings but ideally for everyone our best quality sleep is done between 10:00 pm and 2:00 am.
#2. Get them in the habit of drinking a 8 oz. glass of purified water first thing in the morning with a 1/4 lemon squeezed in. This serves a couple purposes. One it rehydrates our body after sleeping and most importantly helps to get our colon working first thing. The lemon is alkalininzing and cleanses the organs, especially the liver. It wakes us up, cleans our mouth, pulls mucus through the body and brings our body in an alkaline state. An acidic body is where disease and health problems start. Make sure to drink with a straw and swish mouth with water after to keep enamel on teeth safe.
#3. Move your body, get breakfast going and do some light stretching or dancing around the house. We have a mini tramp in our house and the kids love it, it is fantastic exercise and helps get the lymphatic system moving as a bonus. If it is nice outside I send them out to the backyard while I make breakfast.
#4. Write down their intentions for the day, if they can write have them do this in a journal and if not write them down or just talk about them. You can do this the night before or while you are eating breakfast or waiting to eat. This helps set up your day and puts you in the right frame of mind.
- Being mindful of other people.
- Eating intuitively and healthy.
- Drinking a certain amount of water.
- A goal you have for the day.
- Doing something nice for someone else.
- To Do List, prioritized.
#5. Eat a healthy wholefoods diet. Make sure you have some fresh vegetables or fruit with your meals. Ideally you should eat fruit by itself or with dark leafy greens for optimum digestion. Here are some favorites for my kids.
- Breakfast they usually start with some fruit like Strawberries, Raspberries, Pear, Apple or Mango while I am making the other part of their breakfast. I don’t give them a lot just a little to get a serving of fruit in and for some natural enzymes. On days we don’t have to be anywhere I let them wait a bit before I serve the other part of their breakfast so the fruit can digest.
- Lunch I put out a vegetable tray while making their meal. I always have a vegetable tray made up in the fridge so I can just grab it. If I add avocado I cut this up fresh so it doesn’t brown. We love cucumbers, zucchini, carrots, romaine lettuce, celery, pea shoots, sunflower sprouts to give you some ideas.
- Dinner I do the same as lunch or we do a serving of cultured vegetables or a salad with our meal. Read here for some cultured vegetable recipes.
#6. Brush their teeth. I like to do this here just to make sure we have a clean mouth starting out the day. Look at the ingredients in the toothpaste you use and if you do some research you will find out many toothpastes are very toxic. I like to use Nature Gates peppermint or cherry gel toothpaste, Earthpaste lemon is really good too.
#7. Getting themselves ready. This can be done before or after breakfast depending on your schedule for the day. I like to have them pick out their clothes and pack their bags for school the night before and take baths or showers at that time as well so we are less rushed and can all be in a relaxed pace in the morning.
#8. Take a water bottle around with them, sipping on it frequently. Fruit juice in a bottle serves no nutritional value for our kids and is high in sugar. If you are drinking fruit juice make sure you are juicing yourself or dilute with only 1/4 cup fruit juice to 3/4 cup purified water. Try and get them stainless steel or glass drinking containers that are covered in rubber to protect them from breaking. We use these: Lifefactory.com
#9. Have a midmorning snack with some fresh fruit or vegetables and some seeds or nuts. We love a couple almonds and a apple or almond butter on celery with golden raisins.
#10. Eat a healthy wholefood lunch.
#11. Get some exercise mid afternoon. Even if it is just some stretching, walking or going our favorite is going for a hike. Getting outdoors in nature is best and if younger make sure they get plenty of free outside playtime.
#12. Healthy mid afternoon snack.
#13. A nice sit down healthy dinner heavy on the vegetables. At first your kids may reject this, my now four year old still does on occasion but she eats way more than she used to and she likes a larger variety then she used to. Sitting down together for dinner is a nice way for everyone to rejoin after the day and listen to eachothers stories. Eat slowly and mindfully.
#14. Get chores done, clean up, baths or showers and do any prep for the next day. Teaching kids to be prepared and responsible for setting out their clothes, getting things ready the night before helps them be more organized and self sufficient which is great for them and us.
#15. If you would like a night snack then fruit is best. It digests the easiest allowing your body to fully rest while you sleep. Add a small cup of a favorite herbal tea like chamomile with a small tsp of raw honey. I say small so you aren’t running to bathroom all night : )
This may seem like a lot but just add healthy habits into your childs life a little at a time. Eventually it will all just come natural. As your children can read teach them to read labels and recipes and let them help you cook in the kitchen.
