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Good nutrition and exercise go hand-in-hand and when it comes to a healthy lifestyle, it is essential to model these behaviors to your children. The key to helping your child adopt a more physically active lifestyle is to adopt them yourself. Children model their parents when it comes to eating and physical activity, so include all family members in your lifestyle changes. Being active every day has many benefits to include a more restful sleep, healthy cholesterol and blood pressure (children benefit from this as well), healthy bones, weight management and improved mood. Here’s how to incorporate more physical activity into your family routine:
- Devote at least 30 minutes each day to physical activity. Schedule it in your day, just as you would other appointments.
- Walk the dog. Your dog needs exercise too!
- Wash the car together.
- Walk or bike with your kids to school. Make activity a normal part of your day.
- Pitch a ball in the back yard!
- Let your children choose what activities you will do. Encourage spontaneous “play” and have fun trying new things!
For information on activities and events in your area, please visit Be Active Minnesota.
For More Information
Please call the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation at (612) 863-3979 or email
us at educ@mplsheart.org for more information on this or
other heart-health topics. Remember too, that information provided on this site is meant to supplement, not
take the place of recommendations from your primary health care provider
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