During the past several years , I ’ ve found myself doing more and more public speaking — something I thoroughly enjoy . What ’ s interesting is that every time I walk into the room , it ’ s a new type of audience , and in the case of one particular engagement , it was an entirely new age group .
I recently was asked to go into a school system where I would be speaking to children between the ages of seven and 12 . We called it “ Superhero Week ,” and it was all about finding your inner superhero . So , in our eyes , whether you were an athlete , someone with a love for art and music , or even a passion for school work , you could tap into your inner Superhero . It didn ’ t matter what you did .
So , I went in with the intention of trying to help every child do just that — find his or her inner superhero .
I thought hard about how I was going to present . I wanted to make sure that it was extremely relatable and easy to follow . I came up with four points that I wanted these kids to leave there with . Here they are :
POINT NUMBER ONE WAS SLEEP .
I went into detail on the importance of sleep and how by getting the recommended amount of rest , your brain function would be optimal and your body would recover so it can become strong .
THE SECOND POINT WAS HYDRATION AND THE IMPORTANCE OF PUTTING THE RIGHT FLUIDS INTO YOUR BODY .
I discussed how water helps flush out toxins and went into a quick few points about the meaning of recovery and how hydration assists . I also explained how this would help improve sleep , skin and hair . For a lot of the young girls out there , I was able to relate to a few superstar celebrities and show how their main drink of choice was water .
POINT NUMBER THREE GOT INTO NUTRITION .
A big part of my approach to nutrition is to never relate to something as being “ bad .” It ’ s always good to discuss and explain what the good foods to eat are , but instead of using the word “ bad ,” I would use the words “ in moderation .” Unless it ’ s a specific extreme case , I never believe in taking anything away from someone completely . What I do like to do is tell them that they can have it — but in moderation . Then I give them guidelines to follow . By taking this approach , we are not depriving our body and our minds of specific things that we just truly enjoy in life . There should be no reason why optimal health can ’ t be achieved by having certain foods or drinks that you love — just in moderation .
LASTLY , POINT NUMBER FOUR WAS ACTIVITY .
Not everyone is ( or wants to be ) a superstar athlete . I think that sometimes kids see other kids being athletic , and if they don ’ t have that same skill , then they tend to get discouraged . What are we really trying to preach and promote here ? What am I trying to tell kids ? I ’ m not telling them they have to play five sports , but what I ’ m telling them is to move around , break a sweat , be active — even if it ’ s for 10 to 15 minutes a day . We can promote hikes or swimming or walks or maybe fun games outside where they ’ re just running — something non-sports specific .
When looking at how I laid this format down , I felt I did a very good job of relaying my message to these kids . I then realized that this is the exact same message we need to be promoting for adults . I feel it ’ s our job , as parents , to provide the best avenues of life for our children . With my kids , I ’ m trying to give them everything in their power to be successful in all aspects of life . We can help our kids adapt and implement these four simple principles , and it doesn ’ t have to be perfect .
So , write down these four simple points , and try to be a good influence on your children . Who knows ? This may even be a great way to influence yourself toward improvement .
Vol 28 • Extraordinary Health ™ 39