A DAILY DOSE OF GRATITUDE
RAISING THANKFUL CHILDREN
Most parents want their kids to view Thanksgiving as a meaningful event — not just an opportunity to indulge in turkey and mashed potatoes. Unfortunately, most kids’ eyes will glaze over when their parents launch into a lecture about thankfulness. You will likely find better success by emphasizing the value of gratitude all year long. “What do you say?” It’s a question we all ask our young children after someone does something nice for them. This practice instills good manners, but it shouldn’t be confused with teaching gratitude. Imparting the meaning behind the words “thank you” takes something more. If you want grateful children, you need to be grateful parents. Consider how you can incorporate gratitude more into your everyday life. Are you as thankful as you should be? Do you repay favors and write thank-you notes? Do you regularly talk about why you’re so fortunate or what you’re thankful for? Cultivating gratitude in your life sets a good example, and many studies show it benefits your mental health as well.
Next, consider how you can encourage your child to reflect on who they’re grateful for. Acts of kindness and returning the favor to those who have been good to us can inspire kids to put their gratitude into action. Doing some yardwork, sharing a toy, or making a painting as a gift can help children understand how powerful it can be to outwardly show our gratitude for the people who are in our lives. Consistency is the most crucial factor, so try to find ways you can incorporate gratitude into your everyday routine. Children of any age can keep a gratitude journal with their parents’ help. Some families also use a gratitude jar where each family member can write what they’re grateful for on a slip of paper and add something different to the jar each week. It’s the perfect way to keep gratitude front and center.
These lessons may not sink in immediately, but by cultivating these positive habits in our everyday lives, you will see a big difference in the long run.
BREATHE, STRETCH, AND STRENGTHEN
When it comes to developing a workout regime that works for you, it’s essential to make sure that you’re balancing your routine throughout the week to ensure that you don’t experience mental or physical burnout. You may have already found a mix of weightlifting and cardio that works for you, or you may be trying to work through some kinks to figure out an effective routine. In either case, it’s important to remember that yoga can benefit your fitness and workout plan. Yoga is known to strengthen muscles, improve balance, increase flexibility, reduce stress, relieve anxiety, and improve posture. However, when combined with your other forms of exercise, your physical wellness and capabilities are expanded. Let’s take a look at some of the most significant benefits yoga offers to your current workout routine: Strengthen Your Core and Structure By performing multiple yoga poses, you’ll work muscles you didn’t even know you had. You’ve likely heard that yoga focuses strongly on your THE BENEFITS OF ADDING YOGA TO YOUR WORKOUT ROUTINE
core muscles, but connective tissue, respiratory muscles, arm muscles, leg muscles, and even the tiny muscles in your fingers are worked through practicing yoga. You’ll surely notice a difference in your performance in other activities and daily life! Improve Mobility and Flexibility As we age, it becomes more challenging to do all the activities we used to, simply because our flexibility and mobility decline. Yoga allows us to build our flexibility back up to become more nimble and agile while embracing control and a wider range of motion, enhancing your cardio and weight- lifting exercises. Boost Confidence and Motivation Adding variety to our physical activity routine is paramount to keeping things interesting. By incorporating yoga into your exercise routine, you are sure to feel the confidence that your mind and body need to flourish, helping to keep you motivated, challenged, and ready to tackle each workout without getting bored or burnt out.
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