Eat well, get fit, and feel good about yourself!
Here are seven easy and practical things that you can do every day to help you make healthier choices. Remember, small changes make a big difference!
1. Eat a healthy breakfast every day. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It provides your body with the nutrients that it needs to keep you going all day long. If you skip breakfast you may feel tired and unable to concentrate at school. Some examples of a healthy breakfast include: a frozen fruit smoothie, a pita pocket with peanut butter and banana slices or yogurt with granola and berries.
2. Enjoy more vegetables and fruit. Canada’s Food Guide recommends that kids ages 10-14 get 6-7 servings of fruit and veggies a day. Try adding a small salad to your meals, grab a handful of carrots or celery as a snack or try topping your morning cereal with ½ banana or berries. A serving size is smaller than you think, ½ cup of veggies, 1 cup of leafy greens or 1 piece of fruit is considered a serving size.
3. Rethink your snack. Most people tend to reach for an unhealthy snack when they are feeling hungry between meals. Some examples of these foods include chips, cookies, chocolate bars, and doughnuts. Some healthier alternatives that will satisfy your hunger and provide you with the fuel you need until your next meal are: rice cakes with nut butter, crackers and cheese, a hardboiled egg or raw veggies with hummus.
4. Make meals at home. Research shows that Canadian families on average eat out 520 times a year, since there is only 365 days in a year that adds up to eating out at least 1-2 times in a day! Yikes! Not only does that cost a lot of money it is also an unhealthy choice to make. Fast food is packed with calories, salt and fat, all of the nutrients that you don’t want. Instead try making meals at home with your family, pick a few of your favourite recipes, prepare and shop for ingredients ahead of time. Make extras so that you can have it for lunch the next day or better yet make even more and freeze it so you have ready-made meals that can just be pulled out of the freezer.
5. Choose water. The human body is made up of 60-70% water and we can’t survive without it. Girls ages 9-14 need about 1.75 Litres of water a day, more if they are exercising. Try replacing high calorie, sugary drinks such as, pop or non-fruit juice with water. Water is a natural, refreshing, no calorie, no sugar drink. Fill a water bottle from the tap and keep it with you during the day, add a slice of lemon or lime for flavour. Keep extra bottles of water in the fridge to keep you cool on hot days.
6. Be Active Every Day. Kids need around 60 minutes of physical activity every day. Walking to school instead of riding the bus, helping out around the house raking leaves or shovelling snow, joining a sports team after school, or going for a walk with your dog are all great ways to include more physical activity and exercise into your day.
7. Watch less TV. Limit T.V., computer and video game time to less than 2 hours a day. Studies show that Canadian kids are getting about 4-5 hours a day of screen time. The more you sit and watch T.V. the less active you are and harder it is to maintain healthy lifestyle choices. Instead of watching T.V. or playing on the computer, call a friend and go for a walk, dance to your favourite music or try a new activity with your family, such as a cooking class or hiking on a local trail.
Do you have any healthy lifestyle habits that you would like to share? Let us know by adding a comment below telling us what you do every day to be healthy.
