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You know all those healthy habits you wished your family had? Would you like your family to be healthier? Many of us wish the exact same thing. The great news is that we can replace our family’s not so healthy habits with healthy ones but we have to be consistent and patient while we do it. The absolute last thing you want to have happen is for your kids to run screaming from the house that mom or grandma is trying to kill them so don’t try to create 10 new habits all at once. Start with one at a time. We all know how dramatic kids can be when they do not want to do something don’t we? Below are three simple ways for your family to be healthier.
The great news is that once a healthy habit is part of our routine, it’s much easier to stay on track to reach our goals. The best way to making habits “stick” is to do them the same time, same way every day. As an example, many of us brush our teeth very first thing in the morning – I know I do. You may not remember why you do that first thing in the morning because it’s just something you automatically do at the same time, same place every day. This is the same way you can make the new healthy habits for your family “stick”.
One of the best healthy habits we could have for our family is to make sure we drink water. Water does so much in keeping us healthy from helping us digest our food to giving us more energy to making our skin look amazing. A great way to start the day is have a glass of water with breakfast. Have everyone in your family grab a glass of water before anything else including coffee. This is a habit I actually created for myself just this year and now it’s automatic for me to fill a glass of water and drink it before I even put my coffee pot on. I don’t even think about it – I just do it.
Another great habit? Get the family moving. Happy people make it a regular habit to squeeze exercise into their days. That doesn’t mean you have to make your kids run 3 miles every morning before school. Rather create a habit that the family does together such as walking the dog after dinner or making it a game to see how fast the kids can pick up around the house before they leave for school in the morning. The key is to just move and do it at the same time every day.
And the best habit of all? Eating meals together at your family’s kitchen or dining room table and stop eating in front of the TV. Not only good for your health but great for the family too because turning off the distractions around you, allows your family to simply talk and have fun. From a health perspective, when your eyes are glued to the television set, you are not really paying attention to how much you’re eating which in turn causes us to each too much. Sit down for dinner and talk with your kids. Get the conversation rolling by asking what the kids did that day or ask a silly question and just enjoy being together. If time is an issue, cclick here and check my recipe for crockpot chicken.
That’s it – three simple things that will help your family be a little bit healthier this week.
To your health,
Denise
