Staying Active and Healthy as a Family
By Rachel Shouse
For you and your family to function well, you all need to take proper care of yourselves. It can be difficult to get your children to eat well or get proper exercise. It might not be the kids that are the problem. You might struggle with motivation as well. Luckily, there are ways to help your family through this change. Creating a plan or routine is a great place to start. Eating healthy as a family and exercising together are about to become a part of your regular routine.
Build a Healthy Family Routine
Routines don't have to be complex. Every moment of the day does not need to be planned out. You probably have some routines set up now, but maybe it's time to add exercise and healthy eating.
Doctors recommend that you get 30 to 60 minutes per day of exercise. This could be a walk, bike ride, you could go swimming. Anything that gets your heart rate up. One of the perks to including your family is you guys can bounce ideas off of each other. Writing them down can help you remember all of them.
Create a Healthy Eating Plan as a Family
Some kids are more picky than others. My two girls don't mind eating vegetables. If you asked my boys though, you'll get a completely different response. Getting your kids to eat a healthy meal can be difficult. Get creative with your kids and see what they can come up with.
Most parents ask what their kids want before they go grocery shopping. Imagine how much they could learn if you took them shopping with you. Give them a piece of paper and have them write down a couple of meals that they want for dinner. If they're old enough, you could teach them how to write the shopping list with all of the ingredients that they'll need for their meal.
Exercise and Play Together
Younger kids seem to be wound up like ten-day clocks. As much as we'd like to be to absorb that, it's not possible. However, working out does increase your energy levels. So, the next time you take the kids to the park, go play with them for a little bit. Even a few little jaunts of exercise throughout the day helps.
A lot of people live near a dollar store of some sort. Now's the time to go shopping for some outside toys. Sometimes kids get bored playing the same games or with the same toys. You could give them the money and let them shop on their own. Kids love being independent.
To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Hiram, Ga.