How to help your kid find their balance in life

Pretty soon, our ‘life triangle’ is all out of shape - just like our bodies. We all too often become aware of this imbalance when it appears to be too late, and start to bounce around looking to regain some balance. Joining the gym has become a fad and is worth a try until we realise that we are paying more and going less. Self motivation is probably to be found within the shortened ‘mental’ side of our triangle. Short courses may help to improve our mental and/or spiritual sides but are often disjointed or too short term, unless you go on with the intention of gaining a PhD.

This is your opportunity to take a look at your own “Life Triangle” and that of your children - and determine which sides of the triangle are too short or too long, resulting in imbalance.

For many the smallest leg of the balanced triangle is the physical you, even though you may consider that the physical part of you is too big. Obesity in our children is one of Australia’s biggest problems but one that can be brought under control in the majority of cases.

Regular physical activity is the best way to improve the physical side of your triangle. We can encourage our children to exercise but it is hard enough to maintain our own motivation let alone that of our children. So look at kids activities that work the mind as well.

Fencing is known as “Physical Chess” because once you know the basic moves the real contest happens within the minds of the contestants. Similarly, the Art of Rhee Tae Kwon Do provides both physical and mental challenges but without the competitive nature of a combat sport such as fencing. Being an Art, Rhee Tae Kwon Do places strong emphasis on developing the mental aspects of our lives through concentration, understanding the purpose of moves and the exercising of both sides of the brain to coordinate our physical bodies. Improved breathing, finer concentration and coordination, the ability to relax the mind as well as the body are all benefits of this Art alongside great improvements in physical fitness and flexibility.

The side benefits of being able to confidently defend and control ourselves when under stress also helps to put our “Life Triangle" into better equilibrium.

To discover more about the life triangle - and how to find the balance - please contact the expert contributor.