I remember a conversation with my neighbor a while back. She said to me,"I don't know how to get my kids to stop drinking soda pop."
And I shared with her the secret to success in achieving this: "Stop buying it."
It is such a simple thing to do: if there isn't soda pop in the house, they will be forced to drink something else. And as long as you provide them with healthier alternatives (water being the best option), then they will have no choice but to make a healthier selection.
Now, this doesn't mean that if they are at a friend's house or a party and they are offered pop that they won't drink it, but I bet that after a month of not having pop that they won't enjoy it so much and may even feel sick afterward.
You see, we tend to make things more complicated than they need to be. We say, "I'm trying to exercise more" or "I'm trying to eat less junk." And then sabotage ourselves by doing the very opposite.
Yet, the fact of the matter is that we are in control of our bodies. We are the ones who pick up the bag of chips, put it in the shopping cart, go to the check out, pay for it and take it home, put it away and reach for it when we get the urge. Those chips don't just jump into our mouth!
One of the most powerful things you can do for yourself is to get rid of the word "trying" for things that you really want to achieve. Here's an example:
"I'm trying to exercise more."
"I am exercising more."
Do you see the difference? The second phrase is full of confidence and is more empowering.
And you know what? Our kids also learn by our example. So if we tell our children not to drink pop while we are sipping on a root beer, we won't be very convincing. However, if they see that everyone else in the house is drinking water, then they are more likely to drink water too.
So that friend of mine that couldn't figure out how to cut out pop is now a huge juicer! And she's shared with me about her experience juicing and how much her kids love it!
See...it can be done!
Link to blog: http://www.livhealthy.tv/blog.php?blogID=How%20to%20Stop%20Kids%20From%20Eating%20So%20Much%20Junk