Nutrition Quarterly Fall 2022

Being active is a main part to establish and maintain a healthy lifestyle for your child. Introducing a form of activity at a young age will help them in their developmental years. The benefits can lead to confidence, becoming stronger, building friendships in sports, healthy body, positive mentality towards fitness, and also helps prevent long term chronic diseases. As a parent, we can also explore different opportunities to see what fits best for your child. Encourage activities that your child seems to be more interested in as this will make the transition of becoming more active a lot smoother. Be sure to communicate and get feedback because the most important aspect is that your child is enjoying their surroundings but also growing as an individual. When they enjoy the certain activity or sport they will want more of it. Always try your best to make these activities accessible and share the moments with them as they achieve certain milestones. Here are some great things to keep in mind as your child starts to become more active. • Embrace a healthier lifestyle yourself as a parent - you can be a great role model for your child and family • Set regular schedules for activities • Make being active part of your daily life, like morning or evening walks together •Setting small goalswill make everyoneaccountable • Have Fun Fueling your child’s body can be broken up into many factors as children grow at different rates. Energy Availability (EA) is the amount of energy left over or available for your body's normal functions (i.e. digestion, immune function, becoming stronger, etc.) after the energy expended for an activity is subtracted from the total energy consumed from food. A child’s energy needs are constantly changing throughout the day, week, and year. Many activities can differ in intensity and duration every single day. The point is we are not able to calculate exactly how much energy they will need on a given day. A helpful way to make sure their bodies are being properly fueled is setting up schedules for meals and snacks. This can help throughout your child’s daily activities. Becoming familiar and gaining knowledge on products is a great way to enjoy the foods they’re fueling with. Calcium is one of many key nutrients through all life cycles; however, through childhood it is important since the body is continuing to grow and develop strong healthy bones. Common food sources can be: kale, broccoli, almonds, oranges, and chia seeds. Here are some great things to keep in mind as your child fuels up with the proper nutrients. • Become a great role model and eat healthy yourself • Allow your child to make healthy habits in weekly meals and also help at times in preparing daily meals • Don’t eat to “clean the plate” but let them eat until they are satisfied, this reduces them to over eating • Start them young with offering a variety of healthy foods The combination of being active while fueling your body at a young age can lead to a strong future foundation in health and wellness. As you and your child become more involved in these areas you will see improvements such as focus, motivation, building certain skills, and succeeding in school. Be active yourself and support your child’s interest as they’ll come to associate being active as an every day routine. You can accomplish anything you set your mind to in your journey and remember: Stay Fit Stay You. Stay Fit Stay You www.StayFitStayYou.com Nutrition Quarterly · Series 3 – Volume 4 6