Encouraging youngsters to adopt healthy habits may be the key to a lifetime of good health. To help encourage children and families to pursue healthy lifestyle choices, Englewood Hospital and Medical Center (www.englewoodhospital.com) recently introduced a new program called “Healthy Habits.”

“We designed this program to improve the overall health and well-being of young people in our community by encouraging a healthy diet and increased physical activity,” explains Michelle Brauntuch, MS, Certified Child Life Specialist for Englewood Hospital. “The benefits of living a healthy lifestyle are clear, and we hope to make a sustainable impact on these children and their families. Our goal is to encourage healthy eating patterns as well as improve physical and emotional health.”

Participating in the Program Healthy Habits sessions are specifically designed for children between the ages of 7 and 12. Each session meets on a weeknight from 7 – 8:30 pm for 5 consecutive weeks. Parents are required to attend with their child and siblings are welcome. A Child Life Specialist leads each weekly class, which focuses on a wide variety of topics ranging from nutritious meals, snacks and portion control to healthy recipes and good fitness habits.

Other topics include improving communication between family members, changing poor family eating habits, the importance of getting regular exercise, and making consistently good lifestyle choices. Guest speakers during the session include a pediatrician, a nutritionist and a fitness coach.

“Family involvement insures that the children in the program will not only get the nutritional and fitness education that they need but they will also get the social and emotional support they need to make permanent changes,” Ms. Brauntuch says. “By involving family members in the process, we can both reinforce the positive changes the families make throughout the session as well as promote healthy habits the entire household can embrace—such as limiting ‘screen time’ or not eating in front of the TV or computer.”

The next sessions of Healthy Habits are scheduled for Tuesday evenings beginning on September 14, 2010 and Monday evenings beginning on October 25, 2010.

To learn more about the Healthy Habits children’s program or to register your family for the class call (201) 894-3635.