Do you feel like your family’s habits are holding you back from achieving optimal health? It’s time to make a positive change! Take a look at your family’s current lifestyle. Do you need to eat healthier, start a weight loss journey, exercise more, get more sleep or communicate more openly? Start new healthy habits with your loved ones to see progress in your weight management and health. Increase the quality of life for you and your family.
Establishing Healthy Habits
Start small and make gradual changes
Healthy habits take time and intention to set and keep. Start by laying out a plan of small, gradual lifestyle changes that will move your family toward a life full of healthy habits. Choose these changes as a family. Ask each family member a goal they have for their health. Next, decide on new routines to help you achieve those goals. Start incorporating these new routines that will lead to healthy habits. To read more about what it takes to build a new habit, read this article from Harvard Business Review.
Support is important when making lifestyle changes to set healthy habits. If all family members commit to making healthy habit changes it can create a supportive environment. Making changes to habits as a family can help everyone achieve their goals.
Nutrition and Weight Management
Incorporate healthy food options
Incorporating healthy food options into your family’s lifestyle can have a positive effect on the body’s overall health, including weight management. To achieve this, incorporate more whole foods (non-processed) into everyone’s diet. Choose and prepare healthy recipes together. Doing so will help everyone in your family feel invested in the meal choice. Encourage your kids to drink more water and eat new fruits and vegetables– make sure you do too! Decrease your family’s intake of nutrient-empty food and drink like soda, chips, cookies and other unhealthy foods. With support and a plan in place, managing weight through healthy eating can become a manageable part of daily life.
Set an example by maintaining a healthy weight
Maintaining a healthy weight not only benefits your own body, but also sets an example for your family to follow. Starting a weight loss journey can be a positive move towards better health and quality of life. It’s important to steer clear of fad diets and instead try effective strategies recommended by scientific research such as those outlined by Mayo Clinic. Modest progress towards weight loss can lead to health benefits and reduced risk of health issues (Source: www.cdc.gov). Managing your weight can help to avoid illness and disease that can be caused by obesity.
Reducing visceral fat should be a priority amongst adults in your family. “Visceral fat is a type of fat that lies deep within your abdominal walls and surrounds your organs. Some levels of visceral fat are healthy and help protect your organs. However, too much visceral fat can be dangerous for your health.” (Source: clevelandclinic.org)
Options Medical Weight Loss clinics offer private consultations and support to promote safe and effective weight management. By showing your family that you prioritize your health and take steps towards achieving a healthier weight, you encourage them to do the same. Once you’ve achieved a healthy weight, rely on healthy eating and physical activity to help maintain health over the long term. (Source: www.cdc.gov)
Check your BMI and see if starting a weight loss journey would be a healthy choice for you. Options Medical Weight Loss clinics offers free consultations that include a metabolic analysis which goes more in depth than BMI.
Addressing Children’s Weight
If you have concerns about your child’s weight, we suggest speaking to your family physician privately. Keep conversations positive around your child. Encouraging children to keep a healthy weight shouldn’t include discouraging or embarrassing them. Set an example with your own weight management by making healthy choices without shaming yourself or others.
Physical Activity
Make exercise a regular part of your family’s routine
Making exercise a regular part of your family’s routine is important for maintaining good health. Finding activities that you and your family enjoy and get your heartbeat up are essential to building the habit of being active together. Regular exercise can keep you fit and strong, preventing health issues later on. Not only that, but it’s an excellent way to boost your mood and stay motivated. By incorporating physical activity into your daily routine, you’ll see fantastic improvements in both mind and body.
Engage in weight loss exercises
For many people, losing weight is an important piece to maintaining good health. Exercising can lead to an increased calorie deficit, which means faster and greater weight loss result, in addition to improved overall levels of health. And don’t forget the mental benefits – exercise is a powerful mood booster that will keep you motivated and feeling good. “Being active can help you lose weight and keep it off. Find out how much you need.” (Source: www.mayoclinic.org) By getting physical activity every day, you’ll feel fantastic inside and out!
To make exercise a true habit, choose something you enjoy! Read on for five of the best weight loss exercises. Also, check out these 8 Heart-healthy Activities that Don’t Feel Like Exercise.
5 of the best exercises to lose weight
- Jumping rope is a fantastic and popular weight loss exercise that can help you lose weight fast. It’s effective in promoting an increased calorie deficit, leading to reduced body weight.
- Running or jogging is another highly recommended weight loss exercise. It’s great for maintaining improved fitness levels and preventing health issues later on.
- Strength training exercises like weightlifting are perfect for building muscle mass and boosting your metabolism. This helps burn more calories even when you’re not exercising.
- Swimming is a low-impact exercise that can burn lots of calories. It’s excellent for keeping fit and strong while being easy on the joints.
- Cycling is an active and fun way to incorporate extra physical activity into your daily routine. It’s a fun and efficient form of exercise that supports improved strength and fitness.
Managing Stress and Mental Health as a Family
Encouraging open communication within your family
Encouraging open communication within your family is vital to maintaining a positive and supportive environment. A great way to encourage open communication is to enjoy a family meal together. Doing so will give your family a chance to share the ups and downs of daily life, while also eating a healthy meal together.
Include an ‘all answer’ conversation activity at a meal to encourage open communication in other situations beyond the dinner table.
A few conversation starters:
- highs and lows
- highlights and challenges
- moments I’m proud of
- an obstacle I could use help with
By showing support and sharing thoughts, experiences, victories, worries and challenges with each other, your family can move forward together towards a healthier future.
Wrap Up
Setting healthy habits for your family will increase your quality of life and set a positive example for loved ones. By making small but significant changes to your habits, you can gain extra confidence and power over your life. Adjust family habits to incorporate healthy food options, maintain a healthy weight, get more sleep, exercise as a family and encourage open communication. Remember, success in achieving a healthier lifestyle as a family is worth the effort!