At every different stage of your life, there lies an opportunity to learn and unlearn. If there is anything my wife and I have learned as parents, it is the ability to make your child believe you have it in you to become great and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Sometimes, we get so busy making a living, that we forget to make a life. Each one of us communicates in one form or the other. What often gets overlooked is nonverbal communication. My wife and I experienced pretty much the exact same thing over the last year or so. Our little man is on his path to adolescence. This transition from a child to becoming a young adult requires significant mental and physical awareness. The change is multi-fold and non-linear in nature which entails a push beyond your environment. The child needs a strong enabler to facilitate this change. It requires guidance from someone who has been down that path and no better teacher than one’s parents. It was an unforgettable moment that led us to discover this opportunity within our home shack. So, the path of transformation began one more time and this time it is even more significant than the previous one.
Here are my top 5 learning on way to this adolescence transformation.
- Diet and Exercise plans are a good starting point; however, children emulate older people, especially their parents. So, an overall lifestyle change of the family must precede to facilitate the starting process. Thankfully, we as conscious parents had to make only a few tweaks to get this laid out.
- When you are working with a child, it’s more about energy balance. We work a deficit plan around TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and follow a flexible approach to diet. No food group is considered evil or taken off the diet plan. This is to ensure your child is able to sustain the process and build a lifestyle around it. Young adults have a hormone advantage and food strategy can be manipulated. Exercise is the catalyst here, hence it becomes non-negotiable.
- Targets- Daily targets, weekly targets, monthly targets. Kids are better driven with a reward arrangement in place. As adults, we have one too many priorities which need attention, hence the process may get diluted in due course, however, a child will always work towards what is presented as important. In order to minimize failure, we must outline the road map and enable them with such tools to ensure progress along the journey.
- You will never be able to do this alone- Every change requires help. It requires help from friends, family, and often times the kindness and goodwill of strangers. It is always a collective effort. In our case, it was my wife driving this as I was away working in a different city. I only could do so much with remote help. She ensured the daily discipline and consistency around the program was being followed not just by guiding our little man, but by equally participating alongside.
- Power of faith and gratitude- All of us connect with a source of power beyond us. This practice helps to build hope and courage, two of the most important virtues required on the road to change. Gratitude builds humility and keeps us aligned to our faith.
Nutrition, Exercise, and patience are what it takes to lead a sustainable healthy life, and everyone is aware of this piece of knowledge, however, we all want this in a pill that guarantees instant results. What also separates your choice to start on the healthy path is the selection of a coach or mentor. You must invest in a coach who symbolizes progress and accountability. If you haven’t yet checked me out on Instagram and Facebook, do give it a peep for daily tips on exercise and nutrition. And check me out on YouTube as well.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtllE7Oxdvll_r1gHJ2Twbw
We lift, therefore we are!
