Raising children may seem easy these days, with everything at the touch of a button. All you need to do is provide them with healthy habits like doing exercise and eating healthy food, protecting them from becoming overweight and from developing diseases.

However, that is not always the case. Today’s parents who are prone to living a healthy lifestyle see it differently. Since there are countless diversities of various foods, especially unhealthy ones, the temptations are skyrocketing. Therefore, what can we do as adults to protect our children and raise them to be healthy?

There are many things we can do, but a few seem to dominate the others.

• The plainer it is, the better
• The key is to be included and keep them active
• Try making it a family activity

Adults usually do not like being told how to raise they kids. However, a little help can go a long way.

Set the Example

Although we may not always be aware, our children look after us as their main role models for most of the things they do.

Therefore, you can do a few helpful things like:

• Eating healthy in front of them and making it a primacy to adopt healthy routines
• Always have them be involved
• Constantly keep the tone of conversations and discussions polite and optimistic

Children often undertake the phrase “monkey see, monkey do”. Therefore, they mimic the behavior they see and believe to be acceptable. Most of their young life is spent watching how adults act, while copying them. Of course, expect the temper tantrums to erupt, but do not surrender to them. They will raise the white flag eventually. Sit them down calmly and discuss the positive outcomes of eating healthy and doing exercise.

Be You Children’s Encouragement

Of course, we all have our own individual ways of encouraging our children to be more physically active. However, they need to know how supportive the parents are in whatever they choose to pursue.

• Plan family outdoor activities
• Enroll them in a sports program
• Drive them to their practices and events
• Always be their biggest fan

Choose Games that are Fun and Dynamic

Most kids love to play outdoor games. However, there are always those who would rather stay copped up inside. Try planning more fun and dynamic games, making them want to come outside and play.

It is always a good idea to plan ahead by writing down any fun ideas you come up with that they would enjoy.

• Start taking strolls
• Try tickling them
• Blow fun bubbles with them
• Jump rope
• Play Frisbee catch
• Fly a kite
• Play with a soccer or volley ball

Swap Watching TV with Physical Activity

Instead of allowing them to spend countless hours in front of the television, make them go outside.

• Monitor their screen time and try to limit it
• If they have a television set or laptop in their room, place it somewhere else
• Make a schedule of when they can and cannot watch TV or use the laptop. Do not give in or negotiate. Studies done by the American Academy of Pediatrics encourage only a maximum of 2 hours screen time.

Try Being Fun with Healthy Eating

If children watch while we are preparing the healthy food, or even better, if they are directly involved in making it themselves, the likelihood of them eating it will dramatically increase. They will feel proud to have been included in the process.

• Color always adds to a kid’s imagination, therefore use fruits and veggies to make things interesting for them
• Since they also respond to shapes, try using cookie cutters
• Plan a family outing to go apple picking and use the apples to make something later
• Ask them to help you plant a garden in your backyard and then make the ripe fruits and veggies with them

Make Nutritious Food

Nutritious food always demands planned preparation. Therefore, try making a plan beforehand so you don’t have to spend all day in the kitchen cooking and baking.

• Shop for nutritious and suitable foods
• Kids respond better to frozen foods, so try keeping some fruits and veggies in the freezer
• Make some foods beforehand and freeze them for later
• Try finding recipes of foods that take up to 30 minutes to make

Try Keeping it Cheap

It is a rumor that all healthy foods are expensive. There are nutritious and delicious foods you can cook at an acceptable price.

• Canned tuna or salmon
• Lentils, beans or peas
• Fruits and veggies that are in season
• Frosted fruits and veggies

Gradually Eliminate the Junk Foods

Do not get rid of all the unhealthy foods at once. Instead, gradually replace them one by one with their healthier counterpart. No need to panic when doing this. The slower, the better.

• Replace white rice with brown rice
• Try using olive oil and not butter
• Go for the non-sugar cereals
• Eliminate the soda bottles and replace them with juice or water
• Replace cheese with pureed veggies

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Have you been tagged as being awkward by those who know you? Do you sometimes feel awkward when in company with people out of your closest circles? Do you know someone who is awkward?

Well, good news, your awkwardness. It turns out that you shouldn’t really care too much about it (if you ever have). As psychologist Ty Tashiro explains, people who are socially awkward are more likely to demonstrate what psychologists refer to as ‘striking talent’.

‘Striking talent’ refers to the immense ability a person can have in a specific area. This ability is what socially awkward people are most likely to exhibit, due to their peculiar nature. As Tashiro explains, it all comes down to their tendency to focus on a specific topic very narrowly and intensely.

He explains that these people may not be smart about everything. It is because they focus their intellect on one or two very specific areas, and will often be average, or even under-average, in other areas. This characteristic is what exactly makes them seem so awkward.

The fact is, when one focuses all their attention on a certain area, they are prone to be less socially skilled, or to be good communicators. Their intense focus on that certain area does not only inhibit their other potentials, but it can also mean that they may feel irritated when their routines are broken.

However, this same focus is of course a real strength too. Being able to stay true to the ideal they have set allows them to persist, even through hard times, when the task can become frustrating or boring to others.

This persistence is what psychologists refer to as ‘deliberate practice’. Deliberate practice, or the repetitive practice of the same thing until you reach mastery over it, is the key to achieving success in things you may be worst at.

It is exactly this kind of persistence that awkward people seem to enjoy the most. They won’t feel bothered with the long hours that take to master a certain topic or area. And it is exactly this characteristic which can lead these people to success.

As Tashiro puts it quite correctly, it is exactly this kind of focus and energy that can result in reaching groundbreaking innovation or redefining the way a field operates or thinks. It’s no wonder that all the greatest minds have shown great social awkwardness.

Ty Tashiro is the author of the book Awkward: n his book, he refers to decades of psychological research in human intelligence, neuroscience, personality, and sociology, in order to unravel the awkwardness behind being awkward.

His conclusion is simple: “The same characteristics that make people socially clumsy can be harnessed to produce remarkable achievements.”

So, stay awkward and don’t feel too concerned about it! Instead, focus on what you’re doing and keep doing it as you already know how. The world needs awkward people to help it to improve.

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You must have heard of this term at least once, if not more, and it is touted as the next big revolution in psychology. However, mindfulness is not something new to the world. In fact, it’s been present for centuries in the Eastern cultures.

It has emerged just recently as an idea throughout the Western world, and it’s being praised for its remarkable ability to help those practicing it to cope with any kind of situation in life.

While imagination exaggerates, and reason undermines, mindfulness is there to bring a balance between the two by introducing sense. Achieving mindfulness doesn’t take a lot, but it may seem difficult at first.

The main challenge that you may find is diverting your attention from everywhere and everywhen to the present moment, with a compassionate and non-judgmental attitude. Mindfulness takes practice and attention.

So, here are 7 habits that will help you practice mindfulness. Although they may look simple, practicing them will turn out to be challenging at first, but if you keep it up, these techniques will benefit you for a lifetime.

1. Practicing gratitude

Many people take the gifts in life for granted. However, all the joys of the life you live are blessings you shouldn’t overlook. Instead of desiring what you don’t have, practicing gratitude reminds you to enjoy you already have.

This technique is simple, and it takes just 15 minutes. The first thing to do when you wake up is to write down 3 things you are grateful for. You need to be as specific as possible, as this is the key to fostering gratitude.

The purpose of this exercise is to remind yourself of a good experience, event, person, or thing in life and to enjoy the good emotions that come with it. It serves to remind you that even if there are so many things that you don’t have in life, there are as many things that you already have.

2. Feeling your palms and feet

This technique will anchor you to the present moment, by focusing on your body. As Buddha once said, “The past is already gone, the future is not yet here. There’s only one moment for you to live.” And that’s the present.

To practice this technique (and you can do it practically anywhere), simply direct your attention to your palms and feet. Notice how your feet touch the ground, feel the temperature of your palms, notice your state of comfort, and really anything else you can notice.

Once you have achieved awareness of your palms and feet, clench your hands tightly into fists and release. Do this repeatedly for some time. Don’t worry if your attention wanders away, just gently return it to the process and don’t judge yourself over it.

3. Noticing the environment

Staying in the present moment doesn’t require you to try manipulating your feelings and emotions. All you need to do is simply let go of whatever’s on your mind and start paying attention on what’s around you – and there are so many beautiful things you will notice.

Quickly take your attention away from this text and notice what’s around you. Start small, if you’re reading from your phone, look at the phone, then your hand holding it. As you go further, start noticing where you are, the things and the objects around you – expand your awareness.

Become aware of the objects around you, the colors, the shapes and textures, the sounds… everything. And don’t make any comments in your head on what you’re looking at – just take a moment to become acquainted with your surroundings.

4. Breathing deeply

The breath is our natural clock. The faster we breathe, the more tense we feel. It comes with shallow breaths that don’t bring a lot of oxygen, and your focus functions the way you breathe.

Every meditative technique requires you to breathe deeply, and for a good reason. Deep breaths increase awareness, calm the mind down, help you focus more clearly, and bring more oxygen to the body.

For beginning, start practicing by breathing in for 3 seconds and breathing out for the same amount of time. You can later increase the time, but don’t rush, as you may start feeling dizzy.

5. Listening, not just hearing

Many times, we are so obsessed with our pre-determined thought patterns that we don’t listen to what others are saying. We quickly develop bias toward the topic and start creating judgements about the person speaking to us.

Next time when you speak to someone, quickly catch those thought patterns and leave them aside. Let the person say whatever they are talking about and listen before you make a default judgement about it.

This focus will let you really notice the things they are saying and will help you achieve a better understanding of the person and the things they talk about.

6. Mindful eating

This kind of eating doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to change your diet – that’s another topic. It simply means that you need to experience the whole process mindfully.

When your meal is in front of you, notice the smells, colors, textures, temperature, flavor, and even the sound of your food (crunch!). Pay attention to the whole experience. If it’s a warm meal, feel the way your body warms up when you ingest it.

Feeling your body and experiencing all the senses while you eat will not only let you enjoy the food you eat more, but you will also learn to recognize what food is good for you, and what food you should avoid.

7. Mindful showers

Water has a cleansing effect, both physically and psychologically. However, many people forget to really experience the psychological effect of taking a shower. This is a pleasure nobody should miss out on, and it lets you focus on the present.

Next time you take a shower, pay attention to the pleasant warmth of the water gently caressing your skin. Inhale the beautiful smell of your shower gel, and enjoy the sensation of your hands passing over your skin.

With this, not only will your body be refreshed and clean, but you will also refresh and clean up your mind from the negativity it may have gathered up. All in all, a mindful shower is a blissful experience that will last for the rest of the day.

Keep on practicing these techniques and you will see how beautiful the present moment is.

With your awareness of the present, you will soon start to take control of the past and the future – things that not many know how to navigate through.

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Source: The power of ideas