It’s no secret that living a healthy lifestyle is what everyone should be striving to do, but what makes a healthy lifestyle, and what are the motivations behind maintaining one? In a world of social media and photoshop, young people are increasingly facing pressure to live up to unrealistic beauty standards. While this isn’t anything new exactly, with access to social media platforms, it can be hard to escape these images and ideologies, as well as unsolicited comments on your appearance — whether they are good or bad.
This can result in an individual basing their worth on their looks, as well as getting conflicting messages about what is and isn’t beautiful and/or healthy. It’s incredibly overwhelming and can risk detriment to a person’s physical and mental health. This is why it is important to start teaching children correct information about a healthy lifestyle at a young age, and here are a few more reasons why this is beneficial.
Taking the Focus Away from Physical Appearance
For years the idea of a healthy physique has been slim and toned bodies, and while this isn’t unhealthy, it’s also not a completely correct representation of what healthy should look like. There are many different shapes and sizes out there, and for decades those who haven’t fit in with that traditional ideal have been automatically labelled as unhealthy. Teaching young people about what makes up a healthy lifestyle from a young age can help take the focus off of appearance, and make them more aware of the nutritional value of foods and the benefits of exercise (for instance, even just walking to and from school, rather than having to excel in PE class). All this can help with a young person’s self-confidence and understanding of what healthy living truly is.
Understanding How Nutrition Works
If you understand how something works, you’re more likely to trust its benefits. Teaching young people about why their body needs certain vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, etc., is a good way to help them understand the benefits of a nutritious diet and will, hopefully, encourage them to make those healthier choices. Even letting them know about vitamin supplements available and how they can boost a healthy lifestyle is worthwhile. For example, Abundance & Health sells these Liposomal Vitamin C supplements, and this range as well as others can be useful as part of a healthy lifestyle. However, it is also important to remind young people that supplements will not make up for an unhealthy diet, but rather should be used as a way to give their bodies a little lift when they need it.
Creating Good Habits Early
Another benefit of teaching children early about healthy living is that it’s an opportunity for them to create good habits early. It’s a good opportunity to introduce them to all kinds of nutritious cuisines around the world and even show them how to prepare these meals, which is an important life skill. It can also get them excited about engaging in more physical activity and make that type of exercise fun so that they can enjoy this with their friends.
Everyone should learn how to maintain a healthy lifestyle, but understanding these benefits and what truly makes a healthy lifestyle at a young age can be much more beneficial if you want to maintain good habits throughout your adult life.
