{"id":7758,"date":"2025-09-26T15:09:23","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T11:09:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.merrylandinternational.net\/newsite\/?p=7758"},"modified":"2025-09-26T15:09:23","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T11:09:23","slug":"growing-strong-happy-and-healthy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.merrylandinternational.net\/newsite\/2025\/09\/26\/growing-strong-happy-and-healthy\/","title":{"rendered":"Growing Strong, Happy, and Healthy!"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"su-spacer\" style=\"height:10px\"><\/div>\n<p>I want to share some simple ways you can take care of your body and mind. Your body is growing quickly, your brain is learning new things every day, and you\u2019re making lots of friends. Let\u2019s talk about how to keep you strong, smart, and full of energy!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Eat Natural Foods (Not Too Much Processed Food)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Do you know what processed food means? It\u2019s food that has been changed a lot in a factory. Think about candy, chips, sodas, and fast food. These foods often have lots of sugar, salt, or oil, but not much of the good stuff your body needs.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, try to eat natural foods. These foods come from the ground, trees, or animals, without too much extra stuff added. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, eggs, chicken, and fish are all great examples.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Helps you grow: <\/strong>Healthy food gives your body the building blocks it needs.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Boosts brain power: <\/strong>Natural foods help you pay attention in school and remember what you learn.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Keeps you strong: <\/strong>Good food helps your muscles and bones grow.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Protects your health: <\/strong>Eating natural foods gives your body the tools to fight off germs.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Keep Moving. It\u2019s Fun and Good for You!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Moving your body every day is super important. Playing tag, riding your bike, jumping rope, playing soccer, climbing on the playground, or dancing in your room all count!<\/p>\n<p>When you move your body:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Your muscles and bones get stronger.<\/li>\n<li>Your heart works better.<\/li>\n<li>You\u2019re happier. Moving can make you feel less sad or worried and more full of energy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sleep: Your Body\u2019s Superpower<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sleep is like your body\u2019s \u201crepair shop.\u201d When you sleep, your body and brain get a chance to rest, heal, and grow. That\u2019s why most kids your age need about 9\u201312 hours of sleep every night.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how to get good sleep:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Go to bed at the same time: <\/strong>Your body gets used to a healthy routine.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Shut down screens: <\/strong>Turn off TVs, computers, tablets, and phones at least an hour before bed. The light from screens can trick your brain into staying awake.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Do something calm: <\/strong>Read a story, listen to soft music, or talk with your parents before bed.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>T<\/strong><strong>aking Care of Your Feelings<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s normal to feel sad, worried, or upset sometimes. Everyone does. But you don\u2019t have to keep those feelings to yourself.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Talk to someone you trust: <\/strong>A parent, teacher, or friend can help.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Be kind to yourself: <\/strong>It\u2019s okay to have big feelings. They don\u2019t last forever.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Be kind to others: <\/strong>When you smile, share, or help a friend, you make them feel good.<\/p>\n<p>This makes you feel good, too.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Y<\/strong><strong>ou Can Do This!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Being healthy isn\u2019t about being perfect. It\u2019s about making small, smart choices every day like eating natural foods, moving your body, getting good sleep, and caring for your feelings. These habits will help you grow strong, stay happy, and shine bright!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Courtesy: Dr. Deepa Grandon, Transformational Life Consultancy (TLC)<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I want to share some simple ways you can take care of your body and mind. Your body is growing quickly, your brain is learning new things every day, and you\u2019re making lots of friends. Let\u2019s talk about how to keep you strong, smart, and full of energy! &nbsp; Eat Natural Foods (Not Too Much Processed Food) Do you know what processed food means? It\u2019s food that has been changed a lot in a factory. Think about candy, chips, sodas, and fast food. These foods often have lots of sugar,&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7759,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[31],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.merrylandinternational.net\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7758"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.merrylandinternational.net\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.merrylandinternational.net\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.merrylandinternational.net\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.merrylandinternational.net\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7758"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.merrylandinternational.net\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7758\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7760,"href":"https:\/\/www.merrylandinternational.net\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7758\/revisions\/7760"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.merrylandinternational.net\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7759"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.merrylandinternational.net\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7758"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.merrylandinternational.net\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7758"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.merrylandinternational.net\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7758"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}