As a mother, one of my goals is to help my kids
develop habits that support a healthy life, and teaching them Total Force
Fitness (TFF) skills is an effective way to accomplish that. The TFF model
helps me improve my health, well-being, and performance. The impact of TFF
on my health and performance also serves as a good reminder for me to
reflect on how I nurture my children's overall health.
Nearly 40% of Service Members are parents, who can create opportunities in their day-to-day lives to help their children learn TFF skills. Building healthy habits early on helps children perform at their best throughout life. Current military families are an important recruitment source for the future military force. Setting up military kids with good health behaviors now can help them become high-performing Service Members later in their lives, if they choose that career direction.
Here are some ways I bring aspects of TFF to my family.
Nutrition
Both of my kids, ages 8 and 4, are picky eaters, and their first food choice is rarely fruits or veggies. I have to constantly remind them of the many ways fruits and vegetables can keep them healthy. I try to use language and examples that are easy for them to understand. The 2 comparisons I use the most relate to the importance of antioxidants and fiber. Antioxidants are substances that are naturally present in fruits and veggies. They help neutralize free radicals, which are molecules that can damage cells and their components, such as DNA. I try to make this concept as simple as possible by comparing the free radicals to bad guys that try to destroy the cells in our bodies. Antioxidants are the superheroes that beat the bad guys and protect us, so it’s good for us to eat foods that contain lots of antioxidants. I compare foods with fiber to tiny brooms that help remove the waste that accumulates inside our bodies. These lessons help motivate my kids to eat a bowl of blueberries or a few baby carrots—at least until the next meal, when I have to remind them again about the importance of eating fruits and veggies. HPRC’s website offers age-specific tips to help parents raise healthy eaters.
Physical activity and social connection
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Mental fitness
I also value teaching my kids skills to help them
manage their emotions. They already know the frontal part of their brains can
help them control their emotions—and that with some practice, they can learn to
think about their behavior before they act. I teach my kids to first take a
couple of deep breaths and slowly count to 3. Then, I ask if they can recognize
how they’re feeling and identify the cause. Finally, I ask them to
identify an appropriate behavior for the situation. If it involves anger, for
example, they’re allowed to stomp their feet or squeeze a squishy fidget toy,
but they may not hit people, throw things, or speak disrespectfully. Of course,
I also reinforce that they can always talk to their dad and me about their
feelings. HPRC offers some tools just for kids to help them identify the intensity
of their anger and develop healthy coping
skills.
Mindfulness is another practice that can help children
improve their mental fitness. In addition to teaching my kids how to breathe
in moments of distress and engage the frontal part of their brains to make
decisions, I like to challenge them to sit in silence for a couple of minutes.
I then ask about sounds they heard, sensations they felt throughout their
bodies, thoughts that crossed their minds, and feelings that came to them. We
talk about those experiences, and they build awareness about themselves. During
dinnertime, we talk about the highs and lows of our days and identify reasons
to be grateful. Expressing
gratitude is another practice that can help improve performance in
many areas of TFF.
I hope these tips help you bring TFF to your family.
How do you teach your kids to create habits that support their performance? Use
the comment box below to share some of your tips.
