Back to school can often mean back to the sickbed for many children (and parents) but when the right precautions are taken this needn’t be the case.

It’s normal for parents to approach September with a little trepidation, especially if they’ve experienced a seasonal surge in cold and flus among their little ones in previous years.

The simple fact is that kids spread germs more than adults – something that’s down to the very touchy-feely nature of that demographic.

Of course we can teach our little germ-spreaders certain tried and trusted healthy habits to stem the spiral of infections. Top of the list are frequent/thorough handwashing and sneezing/coughing into sleeves.

Some parents may even go all ‘germaphobe’ and lather their homes, their children and themselves in costly antibacterial lotions or gels. 

Although antibacterial substances may have a place when washing facilities are not to hand, there are altogether more traditional tactics which may be employed to adequately protect against infection: eat right, sleep well and exercise plenty.

By their very nature kids love to be on the move so it’s simply us to us adults in today’s indoor gaming world to encourage them to get outside more and get more active.

An active lifestyle will in turn lead to better sleeping patterns. However, it’s important that we as parents remember not to encourage children to stay up late as they should be getting the recommended hours (pre-schoolers - 10-13 hours; national schoolers - 9-11 hours and teenagers - 8-10 hours.

Good nutrition and adequate hydration are vitally important. Whole food nutrition, packed with fresh fruit and vegetables is essential to give our children the power to stave off sickness and fight disease. 

As caring adults, we all want our children to live long, healthy lives so our first port of call should be influencing and monitoring what our kids eat.

By choosing freshly prepared whole food meals and ditching the processed sludge you get in the supermarket ‘deals’ section, we can get our kids on track to outrunning the so-called back to school plague. Swapping sugary snacks for fresh fruit and experimenting with new ways to make greens appealing - such as juicing - can also boost our little ones’ abilities to fend off illness.

Finding time to prepare fresh fruit and vegetables for every meal can be time consuming but those who persist will reap the rewards.

It’s also very beneficial to boost any efforts to improve child nutrition by introducing whole food supplementation such as Juice Plus+.

At Sculpt Your Life we have introduced a new programme to give kids free access to whole food supplementation and to help parents encourage their children to make healthy lifestyle choices that will last a lifetime.

Sculpt Kids Club is designed to inspire families to continue on their positive health journey - one simple change at a time.

The Sculpt Kids Club incorporates the Juice Plus+ Company’s Children's Health Study (CHS) – an opportunity which allows kids to access Juice Plus+ completely free of charge.

As part of the CHS, adults who order Juice Plus+ may sponsor a child, teen or college student to receive Juice Plus+ for free for up to four years. The child or teen must be 4-18 years old or a full-time undergraduate student. 

To find out more about how to beat the back to school plague, our Sculpt Kids Club and how to claim free Juice Plus+ for your children please get in touch today.