Recently, a mother of two boys asked me “I know it’s important that my kids get outdoors but I can’t find a way to motivate them… What can I do?”

It turns out she had recently read my article about Vitamin N (if you haven’t checked it out, it’s probably a good idea to give it a read first…) and she was really concerned about her 11 and 13-year-old sons, who typically preferred to stay indoors playing more sedentary games and usually put up a fight when presented with outdoor options… Especially in the heat of the summer.

If you’re a parent of ‘tweens (that’s 8-12) maybe you can relate too. This seems to be a fairly common concern when their interest in nature and the outside world gets replaced with iPhone’s and Xbox’s.

Incidentally, did you know that research demonstrates the majority of a child’s lifelong health habits are formed by the age of 12?

Healthy TV | Episode 063

It’s not rocket science that regular exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle for adults and children. Yet, very few are aware that exercise could build your child a bigger, better brain (and possibly even help them become a rocket scientist!)

Exercise Works

The most commonly recognized benefits of physical activity include:

• Stronger muscles
• Increased bone density
• Better coordination
• Improved cardiovascular function
• Enhanced insulin sensitivity

The end result is a major decrease in lifestyle related illness such as Cancer, Heart Disease & Diabetes and many other related conditions in adults and children. These are all wonderful side effects of a consistent exercise program.

Less commonly known are the exciting effects of exercise on the brain and who more important to target with these effects than the developing brains of our most precious assets… our children.

Healthy TV | Episode 059

When I ask people – “Would you like to live a longer life?” the answer is almost always “It depends…” Which is usually followed by some earnest conversation about not wanting to be dependent on anyone else, to be a burden…

And I get that.

In fact, my goal for longevity has changed from stating a specific number to simply being really clear on the state of function I want to maintain, forever.

So that begs the question: What can I do to maximize my health and function long term?