Whether you’re married or a single parent, working or a stay-at-home parent, the health of your family should be a top priority. As kids and teenagers are vulnerable to emotional stress that often results in unhealthy eating habits, developing an active and healthy lifestyle is essential. Starting early and making smart choices are great foundations for promoting healthy living to your family. The tips below can guide you.
1. Identify your goals.
Determining your fitness goals is necessary to keep you and your family on track on your journey towards healthy living. Consider the current fitness levels, ages, or special dietary requirements of your family members when assessing the right types of workout or meals to start with. Are you and your partner trying to lose some weight? What types of healthy meals would you love to cook for your kids? Whatever your goal is, make sure that you’ll benefit as a whole.
2. Discuss the importance of healthy habits.
As a parent, it’s your responsibility to teach your kids why it’s important to have a healthy body, and the best way to do this is setting as an example. Explain to your kids how eating healthy food can give them the minerals and vitamins that the body needs to function properly. You can create weekly menus together with your children so you can talk about what kind of meals will each one of you will enjoy. You can also go to the grocery store together and teach them how to read labels of the food and drinks they buy.
3. Plan a weekly menu.
Creating a weekly menu or meal plan ensures your family is getting all the nutrients needed every day. Try not to serve the same meals twice in the same day and vary your cooking methods, from stir-fry, bake, broil, and grill. At the same, serve a balance between new healthy recipes and your family favourites. What’s more, meal plans should also be flexible, wherein you can switch around meals if you run out of a food item or ingredients.
4. Try a new food.
Keeping your weekly menus new and interesting is important to ensure every member is still having fun with the healthy diet. Expand your palettes and talk about trying new food to keep everyone, especially your little ones, interested. Instead of preparing the same old oatmeal during the mornings, you can make veggie breakfast tacos. Or, if you’re tired of eating that low-cal fettuccine alfredo, maybe you can try chicken parm stuffed peppers for a change. Be sure to check out some healthy recipes online.
5. Have fun physical activities.
It’s time to limit your kids’ screen time and do some fun physical activities with them. On average, your little ones need at least an hour of physical activity every day. Make it fun and play with them. Plan family activities such as playing basketball, biking, or going on after-dinner walks at the park. Involving the entire family in fun physical activities can help you easily maintain a lifestyle that’s beneficial to your health.
6. Keep your space neat.
Another healthy habit to adopt as a family is tidying up your living space. Eating and doing activities at the house are more pleasant when everything is organized and clean. Clutter is never good for the mind and body or your overall health. Teach your kids the responsibility of putting away their toys or clothes. Do regular house cleaning every weekend with the whole family or give each member simple cleaning tasks to finish every day.
7. Use non-toxic dinnerware or cooking tools.
As much as we love colourful dinnerware, most paints used in them have components or toxins harmful to our bodies. For your little ones, make sure to use only safe, non-toxic product materials such as food-grade silicone and stainless steel that are dishwasher safe. You can also opt for eco-friendly bamboo utensils or ones made from wood with a non-toxic finish. For parents who love cooking, use pans or pots that won’t leach chemicals to the food. High-end cast iron or stainless-steel pans are some great investments to opt for.
As parents, we play an important role as a coach and guide for our kids as they make choices about the activities they spend time on and the food they eat. By following these pointers, you can easily encourage a healthy attitude and proper behaviour within your family. If you have little ones, make sure to take them on this journey as early as possible. Take the necessary steps to guide them as early as possible.
