Monday 18 February 2013

Influencing my children: The battle for all parents

My first run after the First Half Half Marathon was less than stellar, so I decided to take a couplle of days off of the run to get healthy. Instead, I rode my bike and ran with my kids.

Running with kids was like pulling teeth to get them out the door, but once we were in the forest, all three of them loved it. We ran for 5k on Saturday and 6k on Sunday. At each km, we take a walk break. For the boys, they love to run over the dirt jumps, bound over logs, and run uphill as fast as they can. I tell them to pace themselves, but when it comes to running downhill, they take off like bullets. They are 5 years old.

Like all parents I would love for these kids,  my kids, to grow up fit and healthy. I want them to love physical activity, love running and jumping and biking and anything that will get them outside and active. It will be a slow process of convincing them that running is fun and good for them, but already I can see that they are buying into what I am teaching them.

The run with my kids, like the food changes in our house, has been a slow process of change. Now, they are asking me about when we will go running next. The key to it is to make it fun, and that is what I am in the process of doing. 11kms with them this weekend, and next weekend will be the same. 

Changing the food that is coming into our house, and being fed to my kids is happening. They are unaware of the changes, because it is sort of like the frog being boiled in a pot. It is happening right infront of them, and they do not recognize the changes day to day. Lately, the kids have been requesting quinoa, broccoli, green Thai-Curry, and salmon. They have no other choice for food, other than the food we provide for them. So why not provide them with whole simple, unprocessed food?

Jamie Oliver breaks down what the everyday, sugary, processed food is doing to our families and kids. Check it out:




I am looking forward to the next few years, that I can influence my children and their galvinize their life's perspective on nutrition at this young age, among other things. Now is the time that their world view is being cemented. The whole world is their fishbowl.

My body is back on track. No IT issues, and I am feeling healthy. Now it is time to get my kids strong, healthy and fit.

The Chuckanut 50 is in a month. March 16th, and this year shaving at least an hour off of my time is completely doable. The buildup for the ultra began today, with this week being one where I will hit up some higher volume runs for the week. With the weather as lovely as it has been, there is no reason not to get outside.

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