Healthy habits your child should adopt

Make sure your child eats a lot of fruits and vegetables that contain essential nutrients beneficial for the body. Avoid junk food as much as possible and get them to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.

With rise in health issues in people, thanks to unhealthy lifestyle and diet, it is important to get your kids to live a healthy life to keep diseases at bay. Here are five healthy habits that your child should adopt to stay fit:

1. Have a balanced diet

Make sure your child eats lots of fruits and vegetables that contain essential nutrients beneficial for the body. Avoid junk food as much as possible and get them to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.

2. Exercise

World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends at least 60 mins of vigorous-intensity physical activity every day for children aged 5-17 to improve cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness, bone health, and cardiovascular and metabolic health biomarkers. Encourage kids to play outdoor games, sports and do yoga.

3. Reduce screen time

Excessive screen time can negatively impact a child’s physical and mental health, from increasing the risk of obesity to disturbing sleep patterns. To keep kids away from the screen, parents should lead by example. You can engage them in extra-curricular activities, reading and also spend some quality time with them.

4. Mental health

Apart from physical fitness, parents should ensure their kids are mentally healthy too. Your kids should be able to identify and communicate their thoughts and feelings clearly with you. Make sure you do not ignore signs of mental health problems and consult a doctor if the symptoms persist.

5. Maintain proper hygiene

Teach your child how to maintain basic hygiene like brushing their teeth, washing hands, taking regular baths, wearing clean clothes and so on, to protect them from diseases.