Glamaour Era magazine Glamaour Era India | Page 62

Bells are ringing across the country as kids settle into
classrooms for a year full of fun, friendship and plenty of
learning.
While exciting, adjusting to new school schedules is a hectic
time. Healthy habits are often forgotten as the focus shifts to
studies, assignments and extracurriculars.
"Parents and caregivers can make a big difference in helping
kids lead a healthy lifestyle during the back-to-school season
and beyond," says Deanna Segrave-Daly, a mom and registered
dietitian. "A few proactive steps can set kids up for success in and
out of the classroom."
Segrave-Daly offers six easy ideas you can try to help
encourage your kids to build healthy habits that last a lifetime:
Prioritize sleep
Sleep is something families often sacrice due to busy schedules.
Remember, kids need signicantly more sleep than adults to
support their rapid mental and physical development, according
to the National Sleep Foundation. School-age children should
strive for nine to 11 hours of sleep each night. Establish a
nighttime routine and prioritize sleep every night.
Eat breakfast
We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day
- especially for our kids. Help them jump-start their day with a
quick breakfast of healthy foods like fruit, eggs and whole-grain
cereal. For those busy mornings, grab fridge-free, GoGo squeeZ
YogurtZ, made with real low-fat yogurt and fruit, for a
wholesome option they can easily eat in the car or bus with a
banana, toaster wafe or whole-wheat toast.
Encourage exercise
Kids should do at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day,
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Hopefully some of this physical activity can take place during the
school day, but there are lots of easy ways to build healthy
activity into daily life at home. Make a habit of going on a family
walk after dinner (a great chance to unwind and reconnect) or
challenge kids to bring their books up the stairs or to another
room one at a time. Take 10-minute "dance party" breaks during
homework or see who can jump rope the longest.