Abby's

Volume 6 Issue 4

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• Kick a soccer ball or play catch. • Go for walks together. 2. Motivate Your Child in Your Own Way Different parents support their kids' physical ac vity in different ways. What ma ers most is that your kids know how much you value and support their ac ve pursuits. • Go on ac ve family ou ngs. • Sign your child up for sports, help her get to prac ce, and cheer for her at games. • Make sure your child has the right clothes for the condi ons. Kids can play outside in most weather if they are dressed appropriately and drink enough water. 3. Replace Screen Time with Active Time TV and Web surfing eat up many hours your child could spend being ac ve. Meanwhile, food ads barrage him with images of temp ng, unhealthy foods. • Pay a en on to how much me you and your child spend in front of a screen. • Take the TV and computer out of your child's room. Keep both in a public area so you can stay on top of how much me your child spends glued to them. • Set a daily or weekly TV me limit and s ck with it. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests no more than 2 hours of TV me a day for kids 2 and older. • Plan ac vi es to replace TV watching. 4. Plan for Healthy Meals If fast food is a staple at your house, you probably know that healthy meals do not magically appear on your table. But healthy food prep does not have to keep you chained to the kitchen. With a li le groundwork, you can plan to: • Buy foods that are healthy and convenient. ►Frozen fruits and vegetables can "health up" a family meal with li le effort. ► A can of low-sodium beans can add protein in about a minute. • Prepare meals that take 30 minutes or less on weeknights. • Put aside me on the weekend to make things you can freeze now and eat later. 5. Make Nutrition Fun There are a lot of reasons to get your kids involved in planning and making healthy meals with you. Kids are more likely to eat something they help prepare, and they might learn about where food comes from along the way. Here are some things you can do together: • Plant a garden and eat what you harvest. • Go berry or apple picking and make a treat with what you bring home. • Use cookie cu ers to make food in interes ng shapes. • Use fruits and vegetables to make meals colorful and interes ng. • Arrange broccoli into a forest. 6. Slowly Swap Out Unhealthy Foods You don't have to turn your kitchen, or your children's lives upside down. Start with a few low-key subs tu ons and build from there. • Cook with olive oil instead of bu er. • Replace white rice with brown rice. • Phase out high-sugar cereals. Bring home less-sugary op ons. • Serve water, low-fat milk, or small amounts of juice instead of soda. • Add pureed vegetables instead of cheese to pasta sauce. 7. Change the Food Environment The sight or smell of temp ng food can make you believe you're hungry, even when you just ate. You don't have to swear off cookies and ice cream forever, but they shouldn't be a daily staple either. A few environmental changes can help you put the lid on unhealthy urges. Page 8| Abby's Magazine - www.AbbysMag.com

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