Your family’s health is important; there is no doubt about that. Regardless of the size of your family, you want to do your utmost to keep them happy and healthy. For the most part, this is relatively straightforward; getting enough sleep and ensuring they eat and drink the right items. While those are undoubtedly aspects of leading a healthy lifestyle, they are not the be-all and end-all, for there is a range of other factors that also need taking into account.
Suppose you are in the position where you are looking to make changes to your family’s lives as a means of becoming healthier. Like many others, you might find yourself at a bit of an impasse, unsure where best to start or what to make changes to. While that could very well be the case, understand that you are not the first person to be in this position and certainly will not be the last.
At the same time, you have found yourself in the right place at the right time. Within this piece, you will find a list of some changes for you to consider in your plans, ranging from smaller changes to those more significant. Irrespective of what you intend to change, read on for more!
Exercising Frequently
We have all been guilty of sitting on the couch for too long. With the video game industry taking the world by storm in recent years, there is no surprise that many have opted for this hobby over the likes of exercising outdoors. None more so than when the weather takes a turn for the worst or when we have been restricted to remaining indoors, much like throughout the last two years and the pandemic.
If you find that you or your family members are guilty of doing this, and you want to make changes to this part of your life, then this one is for you! A simple change here includes restricting how long you spend playing video games per day. If you are anything like us, you might have found yourself saying ‘just one more level’ on several occasions. Limiting how much you are playing, whether based on the number of levels completed or the number of hours that have passed, is a simple way to combat this.
Instead, you could use this time that would previously have been spent in front of a console and get out and about. Walking, jogging, or cycling through your local area as a family is a way of changing your habits while getting fit and healthy in the process. Find yourself enjoying this more than initially thought? Consider going further afield on your explorations or extending the amount of time you are spending exercising. Turning these exercises into a game for your family is also a fun way of changing this habit and being healthier as a family unit.
Eating and Drinking Healthier Options
You might read this section and feel compelled to completely eliminate the sugary food and drink you enjoy from your diets, but that is not the case. Finding the right balance between eating healthily and treating yourself can be challenging; there are so many options that it is easy to feel overwhelmed by choice. While we recognize that is the case, it is not impossible to lead a healthy lifestyle while also enjoying the odd slice of cake or pizza.
Drinking the right amount of water each day is one small change you can make in your family’s lifestyle, which will have positive impacts all around. Should you find yourself struggling to drink the right amount of water, consider finding a water bottle that you can carry around with you. Having a reminder on your person will encourage you to drink and ingrain the habit into your mind after some time. Consuming the right foods is the biggest change that you can make here. Finding options packed with the nutrients your body needs is the best way to make healthier food choices in your family life.
At the same time, you can implement the use of supplements and probiotics to further the impacts that the healthier food choices are having on your bodies. Understanding the benefits of probiotics and supplements is important, as well as what happens when you stop taking probiotics and vitamins. While this might not be something that you first think about when making healthy changes to your family life, it is undoubtedly something that should still be highlighted in your plans. Being aware of the bodily changes that might take place when taking vitamins and supplements will allow you to plan ahead for them and explain these changes to your children.
Make Room For Mental Well-Being
Caring for our mental well-being is something that has been encouraged greatly in the last few years. What was once a taboo subject has been brought to the forefront of many people’s minds and is a topic of conversation that we should be encouraging, both in the family home and beyond. While your children might feel initially reluctant to talk about their feelings, you should do what you can to quash this behavior as soon as possible.
Understandably, your children might feel shy when divulging into why they are feeling the way they are, and you must take things one step at a time. How you encourage your children to open up to you about their feelings is entirely down to you and what works best, but there are various ways that you can go about doing so.
If your children are young and still in elementary school, turning the process into a game is one method to consider. For older children, encouraging them to write down their feelings on a piece of paper could also work, especially if they are reluctant to talk about their emotions or are unsure how to describe their feelings. There are a range of resources provided by mental health organizations that can be used when wanting to open up discourse surrounding emotions in children and young people; check those out if you are unsure how best to navigate this process.
Taking the time to discuss your mental well-being as a family is a positive way to beat the stigma surrounding the subject and could even bring you closer as a family. Supporting one another through tough times is something that we do at the best of times. Understanding why someone is feeling down gives you a better foundation from which to help them and can change how your family dynamic appears, both from the inside and externally.
Patience should remain at the heart of this. While there will undoubtedly be frustrating moments on the horizon, remember to take a moment to breathe and contemplate what you are going to say before reacting. Arguments often ensue from ill-thought words and can often cause someone to retract from you, leaving them reluctant to open up in future.
Being mindful in your approach to this and other health changes you are making will ensure you are as successful as possible. Working together with your family and having open and honest communication about what is going on will also make a world of difference. Remember to take things at the pace of each person individually, and you have the recipe to success!