This year the winter months seemed extra long. With two new babies in the house, it was just easier to stay home, perhaps heading outside for short adventures but staying inside most of the time. As the days get longer, the sun shines brighter, and the plants in our garden prepare to bloom, I’m reminded of the growth chart in my office where we track the ever-changing heights of kids that come in for care. It’s always exciting to confirm our guesses with a new high mark on the chart. Here are some tips I use to make sure my family is staying on the right track, not just with our growth in height, but in our overall physical wellness.
Get Adjusted
As your family keeps blooming, keep in mind that a child’s nervous system is the controller and regulator of all the other systems in their growing body. From blood flow, to brain function and bone growth, the nervous system plays a central role in keeping things working and healthy. Stress and misalignment of the spine can have serious impacts on your child’s overall health, behavior, and development. At Valeo, we offer gentle and non-invasive chiropractic adjustments and therapies that work to correct underlying issues before they become hardwired in during development, providing support for a successful childhood and beyond.
Learn more about pediatric chiropractic care at Valeo. We treat children of all ages. >>
Get Outside and Move
If you’re anything like me, when I get outside and do something active I just feel better. That’s the way God designed our bodies. We need the sunlight to make vitamin D, which is used in almost every biochemical process we have. Our muscles get stronger the more they are used and if we just sit around they get weaker. As a parent, I can testify that everyone sleeps way better after tiring themselves out physically during the day and for many of us, it’s time engaging in our favorite sports and activities that give us the best memories.
Eat Healthy Foods and Drink Plenty of Water
You are what you eat! That goes for kids, too. You want their brains and bodies to be nourished with a variety of vegetables and fruits of all colors and shapes. A lot of our eating habits as adults start when we are kids. Encourage your family to try new things and limit artificially sweet or overly processed foods that our bodies don’t know what to do with. Also don’t forget about staying hydrated. Most kids (and parents) are walking around chronically dehydrated. You’ll be amazed at the improvement in energy and mental clarity with a little extra water every day.
Get Enough Sleep
It takes some time to transition, and it’s tempting for parents to compensate for March’s lost hour by delaying bedtime or allowing children to sleep in. Then, in the summer, it’s easy to postpone bedtime because it’s still light out later into the evening. However, the best way to maintain good sleep is to keep a consistent sleep, wake, and naptime schedule. One of the hardest things to do as parents of young kids is convince them it really is bedtime even though it’s still bright and sunny outside. A trick that we use in our house is a clock that changes color when it’s bedtime and again when it is time to wake up. When the clock dictates the bedtime, it makes it easier to stay on track.
Some days I feel like we “won” the parenting game and other days we are left wondering what in the world we did wrong! Every parent will have the ups and downs, but as long as we keep our focus on the most important things, the rest of the details have a way of sorting themselves out. Above all else I pray that my kids will do this one thing … to love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength.
