5 Easy & Fun Ways for the Family to Get Healthy

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I did it again! 

I overate during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. And so did my kids.

How about you and yours?

Too much sugar? Too many carbs? Too few veggies? Little or no exercise?

Is that as true for you and your family as it is for ours?

There are a ton of ways to get healthy and stay healthy, but there are a ton of reasons (a/k/a excuses) why we don’t. Some may be legitimate reasons and real life seasons when we can’t fit it all in or get it all done, but if we were honest, it’s the choices we make in those every day moments that keep us from doing some of the things we really need to do…like making healthy lifestyle choices for us and our kids.

But let’s face it… it can be no-so-fun to focus on eating right and exercising – or can it possibly be fun – and easy?

Here are 5 easy and fun ways to focus on getting the whole family healthy – and staying that way…

1. Plan to play.

Schedule an hour to play 3 times a week. Make it somewhere you and your children will love to go. The park, play basketball, football, or baseball together. Run a relay race, play dodgeball, go hiking, jump rope or just take a quick walk or jog around your block after school. But if you don’t plan to play, you won’t. So make it an important part of your week…plan to play… and the only rule is, have fun doing it.

2. Make healthy choices a life lesson for your kids.

When you choose to eat carrots over chocolate, to park far from the store so you can get some extra steps in, and to take the stairs instead of riding in the elevator so you can be healthy, you set an example for your kids. When you don’t, they won’t either. Let your life be a good lesson for them to live by.

3. Shop the walls of the store.

Load up on fruits, veggies, whole foods, nuts, lean meat and low-fat milk. Go organic as often as you can. Not sure how to cook healthy meals, pop over to Pinterest. You know you can find some great ideas there! Visit AllRecipes.com or Google it. There are  a ton of ways you can eat healthy and teach your kids to eat healthy too.

4. Have FREE FOODS on hand at all times.

Cut up carrots, celery, and your children’s favorite veggies and keep them in the fridge at all times. Keep their favorite fruits on hand too. Let your kids know that if they get hungry between meals, they can have the ‘FREE FOOD’ in the fridge or on the counter. And make sweet snacks a once a week treat, not a daily habit. 

5. Make exercise part of your life.

A body in motion stays in motion. A body at rest stays at rest. And children tend to follow their parents’ lead. Statistics indicate that childhood obesity is at an all time high and so is childhood diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. It may be inconvenient, but sometimes love is displayed best when it is least convenient. Be active and teach your children to do the same. Take up running, tennis, surfing, skiing, dancing, or good old fashioned exercise at the gym or in your living room as you watch your favorite exercise video – or just do some good old fashioned jumping jacks, push ups and sit ups. Stay in motion and your children will be more likely to stay in motion too.

It’s not always easy eat right and exercise often, but when you do and when you make it part of what your kids do, you create a lifestyle of healthy choices in the hearts of your kids.

DO YOU HAVE A HARD TIME FOCUSING ON HEALTH & FITNESS? WHICH OF THE 5 IDEAS WILL BE HARDEST FOR YOU TO IMPLEMENT? 

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Stephanie Shott
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