Make Children Great Again: our children are our future

I have written in the past about changes in the United States, driven by the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement.

India, by the way, has had its own version of this for some time. Our Prime Minister recently reiterated his clarion call to reduce obesity.

So should we have hope for India and the world?

The answer lies in our children. What are they doing? What are they thinking and how are they acting?

A quick scan will give you great hope. I have been fortunate to have been invited to speak at various schools in the past decade.

I am constantly amazed at the engagement, enthusiasm, and awareness of health among children.

The best way to judge is their lexicon and appearance.

Look around you, children today are leaner, more athletic than in my generation.

Their language shows a deep understanding of the impact of food, sleep, and exercise.

So how can we bullet proof our future generations?

Start by setting high standards for the quality of our food. I know we focus a lot on junk food and the labels on them. But remember that the rest of our food needs to be high quality as well.

Vegetables, fruits, grains. Eggs, fish and chicken if you are non-vegetarian.

They dont come with labels telling us how much sugar or additives were included.

We need high standards for real food as much as we do for junk.

Make exercise an integral part of their daily lives. Long walks, strength training, sports, martial arts, time spent out in the sun.

Teach them how to understand and manage their stress and anxiety. More harm has been done by stress fuelled behavior than we realize.

Finally, lead by example. You cant live one way and expect them to live another. Our children are our future.

What is your role in helping them build a better future?

Reach out to me on twitter @rbawri Instagram @riteshbawriofficial and YouTube at www.youtube.com/breatheagain