I get many clients who want to get healthy and start a workout program and healthy lifestyle to get back in shape. That’s normally when they realize they need to do some work at home, since they don’t have a fit family. Unless there’s a specific illness or condition where a person needs to get back into shape, most of the time it’s the pervasive lifestyle of everyone that lives in the house. It’s well known that obesity is now the leading cause of preventable deaths and according to the CDC, the incidence of obesity in children and adolescents has tripled since the 1970s. Studies in 2015 to 2016 shows that 20 percent of school age children are now obese.
The food you serve and that’s available to the family is where you start.
Are you grabbing carryout because you’re tired and don’t know what to serve for supper? That’s where it all starts. In today’s busy world, people are often working several jobs, plus they still have the responsibility of home. That’s where good planning can help you and your family get fitter. Planning a menu and creating a grocery list for the week will ensure that you have everything you need to eat healthy. It also ensures you don’t do impulse shopping that can fill your cart with junk food. Don’t omit food for snacks that are healthy.
Prepare your food on the weekend and make sure your refrigerator is stocked with ready to eat healthy snacks.
Creating your meals on the weekend and having them ready to warm can eliminate the carryout syndrome. Have healthy snacks like fresh fruit ready to eat, peanut butter celery sticks and healthy trail mix ready for when your family wants a quick snack to tide them over to supper. Eating healthy becomes a habit, but so should healthy fluids. Cut out sodas, fruit drinks and even juices. Cutting out juices might surprise you, but they lack fiber and often have extra sugar. Keep bottled water ready. You can purchase reusable bottles and if your water has impurities or chemicals, filter tap water.
Limit video device time and get active.
Today’s children are often glued to a computer screen, which can affect their health by providing less exercise and now findings are pointing to other health hazards to young children with too much screen time. Get the family more involved with active things. Put a hoop up outside and enjoy some basketball together. Ride bikes or take long walks. Something as exciting as going to Disneyworld or other big theme park, actually requires a lot of endurance to maximize the benefit. If you’re taking a family vacation, get the kids to walk with you to prepare for the experience. Make gifts active, like roller blades, rather than computer games.
- Walk the kids to school, if it’s close enough, rather than drive them. Both of you will get more exercise and you may even find it quicker, particularly if there are long drop off lines.
- Let the kids exercise with you. If they’re little, they’ll love it. They don’t have to do each one perfectly. There are ways to make children part of the workout by carrying them while you’re doing it.
- Get children involved in tasks around the house and outside work. Putting elbow grease into the work and moving as fast as you can not only makes it a game, it burns calories.
- Make family time active. Go for hikes, nature preserves or even to a farmer’s market. Having the kids help pick out fresh produce can also help them get more involved.