My Story: How to Start Your Kids on the Path to Healthy Living as Adults

As parents, we want our kids to grow up happy, healthy and successful. Accomplishing this goal means starting the kids on a path to healthy living at a very young age.

When I started my own family back in the early 80s, I knew that my children had a genetic disposition towards obesity and lung cancer. Our ethnic background produced large boned people who were suited for heavy farm work, a career choice which I certainly didn't follow and didn't expect my children to. Preventing that large bonedness from turning to fat meant teaching my kids how to eat healthy and live healthy, active lives.

Healthy living meant training my children to eat right and choose exercise over sedentary activities. It also meant that we adults had to live by example. Here's a round up of six healthy habits we instilled in our children, this non-nonsense approach should work for your children as well:

1. Eating Healthy Meals. My generation of women took Home Ec in high school where we learned the basics of food prep and nutrition. Healthy living starts with healthy food choices which can be achieved by using the USDA Food Pyramid as a guide. If you need help learning how to to prepare healthy, wholesome food for your family, the Texas AgriLife Extension Services offers free eCourses on Food & Nutrition. This eCourse and others can be found at extensiononline.tamu.edu.

2. Avoiding the fast food or junk food habit. When my husband and I were younger, fast food, junk foods, and cafeteria lunches were out of our budget. Instead, the kids were sent to school with healthy hand packed lunches and instead of ordering pizza or fast foods for dinner, we cooked our own using wholesome, low fat ingredients. What started out as a way to save money resulted in my kids never developing a taste for greasy, salty fast foods even into adulthood.

3. Limit TV and Nintendo. Instead of kids running around outdoors and naturally getting the exercise they should, media promotes sedentary behavior. We limited TV at our home to a few hours on the weekends, and encouraged exercise by buying a family membership to the YMCA and local swimming pools plus took regular hiking and rock climbing trips. Our adult children still belong to the Y and continue to exercise regularly.

4. Gardening as a way to encourage healthy eating. Our family has always gardened, and our home grown produce always meant a ready supply of fresh organic veggies and fruits to snack on. Eating lots of fresh produce continues to be a habit that my kids have adopted. One even grows fresh veggies on the patio of his apartment now, a real parenting bonus.

5. Biking instead of driving. From ages 12 through high school, my kids cycled to school since the parochial schools they attended weren't on a bus route. Yep, they hated it as teens, but it got them exercising and saved us a bundle on gas, insurance, and the price of a car. Interestingly, even when they could afford a car, they continued to ride their bikes to college and as adults still cycle to work.

6. Smoke & drug free environment and drinking in moderation. Whenever you light up a cigarette, use recreational drugs, or chug down a six pack, you are sending a message that substance use is OK. For your health and that of your kids, this is one habit that should be kicked. And if you must drink, do in moderation and never in front of the kids.

From my own experience, developing a habit of healthy living does begin in childhood. These six steps are what worked for my family, and should help your children grow into healthy, happy adults as well.