Let's Right the Future!
The facts are in. There is a major Wellness Crisis happening in New Brunswick. On average, our kids aren't getting enough physical activity or eating enough vegetables and fruits. They're spending too much time in front of the TV and playing computer games. And they're experiencing more stress than ever before.
If we don't start doing something now, kids today may face a shorter life expectancy than their parents. Parents and families are stepping up and starting to take action. Every little change helps towards beating the Wellness Crisis.
A Recipe for Healthy Eating
Here's an easy recipe for teaching your kids healthy eating habits. Choose the right foods and serve them in the proper portion sizes so their growing bodies get what they need for top performance. The ingredients vary based on the individual, so it's important to know what they need and how to get the right combination of foods.
Basic ingredients include:
- Eating a variety of healthy foods
- Drinking lots of water throughout the day
- Avoiding added fat, sugar and caffeine
Sticking to this simple recipe will encourage proper growth and development, increase their ability to learn, provide them with energy, help them maintain a healthy body weight and allow their body to recover faster from illnesses or infectious diseases. It will help protect them against chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, obesity, stroke and high blood pressure.
Physical Activity Rises to the Challenge
Physical activity is a key player in improving your kids' mental, social and physical wellness. Sticking to an active game plan is essential if the goal is to score a higher quality of life.
The Canadian Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance reports that children should be actively moving for at least 90 minutes a day, every day. This can be all at once, or in short bouts by doing household chores, walking to the store, or taking the stairs.
Stepping up your kids' activity will:
- Increase energy
- Reduce stress
- Improve posture and sleep
- Strengthen muscles, bones, heart and lungs
- Help achieve and maintain a healthy body weight
- Reduce the risk of certain diseases
- Provide opportunities for socializing
- Improve school performance by improving concentration, relaxation and focus
Learn more on physical activity.
Mental Fitness Shapes Lives
If you're wondering what mental fitness is all about, we have the latest right here. Just like physical fitness keeps your body in shape, mental fitness keeps your mind in shape. It includes the way you feel, think and act in any situation.
So what are the benefits of good mental fitness? It helps children deal with life's challenges and become confident, capable, happy adults. It also allows them to enjoy life to the fullest and helps them to appreciate others and their environment. The key to maintaining good mental fitness is having a strong support system of family and friends, and feeling connected to your community.
Learn more on how to improve mental fitness.
Tobacco-Free Living
Tobacco has been reported as the #1 culprit of preventable disease, disability and death in Canada. It is responsible for killing more than 37,000 people per year, which is one death every 12 minutes from a tobacco related disease. But still, over 150,000 New Brunswickers aged 15 and over, put themselves in danger. Most kids start smoking between the ages of 11-13 and parents play a key role in preventing this from happening.
Keep your family safe from this dangerous predator by living a tobacco-free life. This means not starting to smoke, avoiding exposure to smoke and if you currently smoke, quitting.
The dark side? Short-term effects like bad breath, stained teeth, clothes and fingers, and difficulty with physical activity and sports. Long-term, there is a risk of developing over 24 diseases and conditions, such as lung cancer, heart disease and severe breathing conditions.
The brighter side? Quitting at any age has health benefits and being tobacco-free will help you and your family live a longer, healthier life.
Learn more on how to live tobacco free.
Information gathered from the following websites: Government of New Brunswick, Health Canada, Health and Education Research Group and the Canadian Mental Health Association.