How To Be The Healthiest And Happiest Role Model For Your Children Whilst Protecting Their Mental Health…
Place2Be launched its first-ever children’s mental health week in 2015 to shine a spotlight on the importance of children's and young people’s mental health. They are now in the ninth year of raising awareness of children’s mental health. This year the theme is ‘let’s connect’. Let’s connect is about making meaningful connections. Connection is vital for our well-being. Having strong family connections at home can strengthen our mental health and sense of well-being.
As mothers prioritising our physical health is even more important when we have children. Never mind the aesthetic element, being fit and healthy for our children is essential. We all want to be able to chase after our children in the park on a hot summer’s day. I know time is not on our side which can make it increasingly hard to make the time for health and fitness. The Health Survey for England 2021 estimates that 25.9% of adults in England are obese and a further 37.9% are overweight but not obese. Obesity is usually defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above. BMI between 25 and 30 is classified as ‘overweight’.
Unfortunately due to the toxic diet culture what tends to happen is women decide they want to prioritise their health and fitness by starting a crash/fad diet. This often leads to unhealthy behaviours towards food and exercise, which is not the example we want to be showing our children. So how do you reach your health and fitness goals sustainably whilst protecting your children’s mental health? We need to educate our children on what healthy movement and diet look like without creating obsessive behaviours and supporting their mental health.
Reframe how you talk about food around your children. If you are on a crash/fad diet I guarantee you are saying phrases like this ‘I can’t eat that, it’s not on plan’, ‘that is. not good for me’, ‘too much of that is going to make me fat’. We need to be mindful of these phrases around young ears. These phrases are not good for your own relationship with food let alone for your children. Rather focus on phrases like ‘this food makes me feel more energised’, and ‘when I eat that it doesn’t give me the energy I need’. This focuses on food for nourishment which is what it is there for!
Exercise to improve physical health, not for punishment. Are you doing a home workout because you feel you need to do it because you ate something slightly more indulgent the day before? Your children do not want to see you slogging your guts off to burn off calories. This will create an association between exercise and food. Exercise is not a punishment for over-indulging in food. Exercise is there for us to improve our physical health and mental health. Instead, share with your children how exercise makes you feel; improvement in energy levels increased mood and physical fitness. As a family, we are always getting outside at the weekend on scooters and bikes. This is a great way to increase your daily movement but also promote the benefits of exercise in an appropriate way.
Get your children involved at meal times. The theme, this year is ‘let’s connect’. Preparing a meal together as a family (when you have time at the weekend) is a great way to introduce new healthy foods with your children but also talk about the importance of a healthy balanced meal. I know if I make the time to allow Florence and Arthur to help me cook they are more likely to try the new foods. Plus is a great way to connect with each other.
Importance of rest and sleep. As busy mums, we are often running around like a blue-ass fly. My therapist made a really good point to me a while back; if all your children see is you running around and never taking the time to sit and relax they may grow up thinking this is what is expected as a grown-up. This really hit home and has caused me to be more mindful of them. Lets us not forget our body recovers when we rest which is vital if we want to achieve our health and fitness goals.
The NHS is now treating more young people than ever for eating disorders according to the latest figures. Creating healthy habits is essential to achieve optimum health but let’s ensure we are approaching this in the right and healthy way. There are lots of resources on the Children’s Mental Health Awareness website to support our children’s mental health.