Monkey See, Monkey Do!

We are inundated with information, guilt campaigns, diet and exercise fixes, infomercials and magazines filled with the "latest" thing that will make you healthy - today!!  It is impossible to sort the wheat from the chaff and make sense of what, where and how we are supposed to live in order to attain a "healthy" life. 
CORE hubby and I volunteered our time at a Family Fitness Night at our children's school last week. It was a fantastic opportunity for families to have fun, try new ways to be active and learn and participate in activities that promoted healthy living.  But the overwhelming trend was parental supervision and less enthusiastic child participation.  Many parents took this opportunity to encourage their children to get moving, but did not take part themselves. 
My scientific data collected from that night:  parents who took part, whether first time exercisers or long time fitness buffs, had children who enjoyed, got sweaty, smiled and had a great time. The families connected through movement and the kids were enthusiastic and excited for the next challenge. 
We want the best for our children, and spend much of their early years reading, discovering and putting into practise the things that we believe will enable them to live long, healthy and happy lives.  The best thing we can do is quietly model the behaviors that we know are proven to help them live this ideal. Monkey see, monkey do!