With how hectic life tends to get, it’s tough to prioritise your health — let alone your entire family’s. However, there are plenty of benefits to family fitness. For one, Verywell Family notes that aside from disease prevention and maintaining a healthy weight, living healthily as a family helps your kids build good habits and physical confidence. So, here are a few simple ways you can get started:
Part of why fast-food culture is so prevalent is because it’s convenient and doesn’t take a lot of time. But ordering takeaways compromise your family’s health, as the types of food available are usually rich in oil and sodium. To avoid this, take charge over what you eat by setting aside one day to prepare your meals for the week. This ensures that you have full control over your family’s diet and nutritional needs.
As we’ve noted in our post on ‘Getting Your Kids to Eat Vegetables,’ you can make things easier by having your kids help with the food preparation. For example, spiralizers are great for turning vegetables like carrots and courgettes into noodles for a more nutritious pasta alternative, while also being easy and safe enough for children to handle. All in all, spiralizers can help your kids be more involved in the kitchen.
It’s fine to have a bag of crisps every once in a while, but the temptation can prove too great if you constantly keep a stock of them at home. Luckily, there are other ways to satisfy your cravings while staying healthy at the same time.
For instance, instead of crisps, whip up a batch of popcorn, which contains more fibre and polyphenols. Popcorn kernels from Black Jewell, for example, are a great pick as they contain no sodium at all, allowing you to be creative with the seasonings. Alternatively, bake and lightly season some sweet potato slices, which are packed with vitamins and minerals. If you have a sweet tooth, switch out ice cream for frozen yoghurt instead to boost your gut health. These swaps may seem insignificant, but they definitely add up in the long run.
A discussion on NI Direct details the various benefits of outdoor activities for children, like exploring nature. Plus, they're also able to take in some much-needed sunlight, which the body needs to make Vitamin D. However, it's also important to make sure that you're not unwittingly exposing your little one to harsh elements. If you're taking them out for a stroll in a pushchair, you'll need to consider the direction in which your babies are facing to protect them. To that end, iCandy explains that modern double pushchair models, aside from providing comfort and protection, can be adjusted to face forward or backward. This feature helps keep your child safe from harmful elements like smoke and dust. Having such tools with you will make walking outside a breeze, so you can focus on maximising your family fitness time together.
Technology is quite convenient, but it often reinforces poor health habits like sleeping late at night or skipping exercise to watch online videos. You can combat this by holding no-gadget family weekends, where you can ditch your phones to enjoy each other’s company instead. There are plenty of activities to do — from backyard camping and living room obstacle races, to a few rounds of Twister or charades. You’ll find that simply taking a break from a computer screen can go a long way in maintaining your overall health.
Staying fit and healthy as a family is far from easy, but it doesn't have to be a chore either if you can foster the right habits. So, try out these simple tips for a stronger and healthier family.