Compensation was provided by Nestle Pure Life via Mode Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Nestle Pure Life.
When I was pregnant with my first born, I remember reading countless books and articles about being a mom. Of course, it was hard to really understand any of it until I went through the situations firsthand. When the kids said their first words and started repeating everything we said, I started to connect with the importance of leading by example.
Now that the boys are 3, 4, and 5, they ask questions about everything. Every. Single. Thing. It never stops. They want to know why we are doing something. Why other people do it differently. Why we have to eat certain foods. You know the drill. 100+ questions daily, as our children are trying to figure out the world and make sense of it all.
On the weekends when my husband is home during the day, I like to go for a run during nap time. Sunday, when I got back from a 2-mile run, all the kids were already up from naps. My three year old, Corbin had just came downstairs. He simply questioned me, “You exercising, Mom?” I nodded yes, too out of breath still to engage in 20 questions. Then he went on to say he wanted to go run. He wanted to exercise. I told him maybe he can sign up for a 1-mile fun run with me after one of my 5K runs this year.
Again, I realize that I am leading by example and showing my kids that exercising is important. Physical activity is something that we strive to do daily. Now that it has been getting warmer outside, we go for walks during the day, or just go play around the park and trails.
Leading by example also includes eating healthy foods and staying hydrated. We keep plenty of Nestle Pure Life Water in our house at all times. I keep smaller bottles on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator so the kids can easily grab one as needed. I also keep a bottle of water in my purse (and car), so when we are out running errands we can easily stay hydrated. As I continue to drink water in front of them (besides the few times during the day I have my coffee), I am confident they will do so as well.
Leading a healthy lifestyle for myself has proven to help my family lead a healthy lifestyle right along with me.
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