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Join the Kids’ Table

Keep Up Your Energy Over the Holidays
While the adults are gathered around the table for Thanksgiving, the children can be heard giggling at a table of their own. As curiosity gets the best of different adults at the table, they turn around and smile to see the kids telling their own stories and making one another laugh. No sooner have the kids sat down to eat, they rush to ask their parents if they can get up and go play again. As they run outside, the adults are left to their own conversations and meals.

What would it be like to revert back to childhood?

Find out this holiday season. While you don’t have to sit at the kids table and miss out on all the “grown-up” stories, take some advice from the next generation in your family.

Eat small portions

Consider what a child’s plate looks like: a variety of foods, cut up in bite-size proportions, with a variety of color. Model your holiday plate after a child’s.

• Instead of heaping helpings of everything, try sample portions to monitor your waistline and to avoid overeating.

• Take small bites and eat slowly to help your body process the food. This will also help you participate in table conversations because you do not have to chew as long.

• Include a variety of color on your plate. Not only does it look prettier and more appetizing but your body receives diverse nutrients and vitamins.

Play outside
The great outdoors offer fresh air and plenty of space to run. Join the kids for a game of tag or hide-and-go-seek. With all the advantages of playing outside, enjoy some time outside.

• Playing silly games will lift your spirits. Laughing, yelling and running will make you feel like a kid again.

• Moving around before and after a meal helps you burn the calories you consume and improve your cardiovascular system.

• Take conversations outside to enjoy the pleasant weather.

Color outside the lines
Why worry about being perfect when nobody is? Kids constantly try new things to discover what they can and cannot do – or get away with on particular occasions. Try doing something new to learn more and to expand your abilities.

• Find a new hobby. There are many activities that you have not tried. Discover something new to enjoy.

• Revert to old interests. If you enjoyed riding bikes as a kid but have not tried it in several decades, give it a try again! There are many things to do that put you in touch with your childhood interests and dreams.

• Quit caring about what other people think about you. While that is easier said than done, it makes trying new things easier and opens doors for self-improvement.

Make a mess
There is no use in crying over spilled milk. Children constantly leave a trail of where they have been for their parents to follow.

• What cannot be done today can wait until tomorrow. If the dishes are not clean, the laundry is not ironed or the car needs a wash, remember that the mess can wait until tomorrow. Enjoy some of the gifts that the present provides.

• By making a mess, you make room for learning. Do you remember how Penicillin was discovered? Alexander Fleming stumbled across an old plate he left out while he was on vacation. The mold on the plate was the key that lead to the development of Penicillin.

Enjoy dessert
We all deserve a treat sometimes. Though kids often want to eat a light meal in favor of a big dessert, parents encourage healthy eating habits. Remember to save room for the good stuff, too.

• After a success, find a way to reward yourself. If you eat healthy all week long, eat a little something that you crave and love. For a job well done at work, consider a pedicure or a trip to the movies.

• Make time for relaxation and fun. Whether it’s a day at the park or a trip to the Bahamas, making time for fun serves as a great reward at the end of a stressful day.

• Everyone does things at some point that they don’t like to do. Though a child may not like what is on his plate, he will finish it for the reward of eating dessert. Turn a negative experience into a positive ending.

By following the actions of a child, adults might find that there is a lot to learn and enjoy out of life. Remember that eating small portions, playing outside, coloring outside the lines, making a mess, and enjoying dessert are all part of a productive, enjoyable lifestyle.