Taking a proactive approach when dealing with your family’s wellness is great in so many ways. First, it helps you prevent issues before they even arise. You will safeguard yourself as well as the kids from lifestyle diseases like obesity and cardiovascular issues such as stroke and heart diseases.
Teaching your kids a healthy lifestyle from an early stage is also good for starting their lives on the right footing. They’ll grow up accustomed to healthy living, making it easier for them to stick to that lifestyle even in their adulthood.
So, what exactly should you do to keep your entire family healthy and happy? Here’s how:
Stay Active
The modern lifestyle is very sedentary for most families. Kids and their parents will spend hours on end in front of the tv with the only movement being the walk between the bed and couches. This is dangerous. It increases the risk of overweight and obesity issues that can escalate to severe medical conditions.
Your family needs an active lifestyle. You should spend at least one hour each day doing some physical activities. Preferably something that increases the heart rate.
You could, for instance, spend around 30 minutes doing family yoga before taking a walk around the block. You can also take the bikes out and go for a quick ride around the block. A fun dancing competition can also do wonders.
Don’t leave out your kids while performing these activities. Teach them how to do it and lead by example. In doing so, you’ll keep your entire family fit and healthy. Moreover, exercises are clinically known to prevent stress and anxiety hence boosting overall mental health.
Stay Hydrated
Different body parts, including the brain, need water to function optimally. Therefore, staying hydrated should be a top priority for your family.
Start by creating a good water intake routine for your family. And ensure the kids follow this routine. Remember, the earlier they get accustomed to routines the easier it is for them to follow them. This will also lessen your work down the road.
But that alone is not enough. You should also teach your kids how to identify dehydration. You could, for instance, tell them to monitor the color of their urine. If it’s too dark, then they should take a glass of water right away. This teaches your kids how to be independent and responsible from an early age.
We can’t ignore the fact that drinking water is not particularly fun, especially for kids. Therefore, it’s a good idea to make the activity a little interesting once in a while. How do you do that? Well, you can flavor the water with some fruit. You can also freeze the water and drop it in their drinks during hot summer days.
Stick To A Balanced Diet
Exercises won’t mean much if your nutrition is poor. You’ll be replacing all the calories burned almost instantly. That’s why you need to be very mindful of what’s on your plate.
Find a balanced diet high in veggies, fruits, healthy fats, etc.
It’s good to involve other family members when creating the diet to ensure everyone is on board with the plan. And don’t focus too much on the meals and forget about snacks.
Prepare healthy snacks and tell your kids why the snacks are better than what they typically see at the grocery store. They may not understand you for the time being, but they will down the road. And yes, it’s okay to satisfy their cravings for unhealthy snacks once in a while but don’t let it become a habit.
Besides following healthy nutrition, it’s also good to involve your kids in food preparation.
Have A Strict Bedtime Routine
You need sufficient sleep for your body to heal, repair, and recover. And so do your kids.
Have a strict bedtime routine for the entire family. This will probably be one of the most challenging things to enforce due to the encroachment of technology into our everyday lives. Nevertheless, you should do your best to minimize screen time.
Don’t just take or hide gadgets from your kids, though. Instead, tell them why it is important to get enough sleep. This will make them more cooperative.
Don’t Ignore Routine Medical Checkups
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to ignore routine checkups simply because everything seems fine. This usually ends up badly.
Find a good primary caregiver for your family and schedule appropriate appointments. The appointments could be once per year for healthy adults, but the younger kids may require more frequent checkups to keep up with their growth. Consult your physician, and they’ll help you come up with the correct schedule.
You should also know that you don’t always have to go for face-to-face appointments. With smart medical clinics, you can receive telehealth medical assistance for issues such as mental health, eating disorders, etc. You must be registered with a facility first to enjoy such services, though.
Outside the regular appointments, you should also develop healthy practices at home. For instance, you should clean and disinfect surfaces regularly. You should also teach your kids the importance of handwashing.
Spend Quality Time Together
It’s impossible to talk about a healthy and happy family without discussing the importance of quality family time. You must go out of your way to spend time with your children and partner. There’s no way around this.
The best thing to do here is to develop activities that bring the entire family together. This could be game nights, storytimes, watching family programs, outdoor family activities, etc.
Besides family time, it’s also advisable to have one-on-one time with each kid. Be invested in their wellbeing and make sure they know that you’re always there when they are struggling with anything.
The extra attention will help each kid grow, plus it strengthens your relationship with them.
Take Care Of Yourself
Don’t focus too much on your kids and partner, and forget yourself. This is a mistake many parents make.
You need to understand that you cannot help your family get better if you’re not in good shape yourself. It won’t work. So take care of your physical and mental health. And don’t hesitate to seek help whenever you feel overwhelmed.
Similarly, you should encourage your kids to develop healthy friendships both at home and in school. Their relationships shouldn’t be limited to the nuclear family alone.
Monitor The Content Your Kids Are Consuming
The world is a nasty place, and it’s up to the parents to shield their kids from harmful information. That doesn’t mean you should block them entirely from what’s happening out there. No. Just monitor the content and ensure they’re not accessing or watching anything they are not yet ready for.
There is no doubt that establishing a healthy lifestyle for your family will be challenging at first. That’s to be expected. However, it gets easier with time if you maintain the right consistency. So, get started right away and don’t let off.
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