It is a well-known fact that everyone needs healthy food and an active lifestyle in order to be healthy and live a long and happy life. I think that every caring and loving mother is greatly concerned about the lifestyle of her family. We should do everything possible to provide a healthy lifestyle for our family members. Besides, it’s so easy to make your loved ones stay positive and energetic. If you follow these recommendations you will certainly contribute greatly to the health and well-being of your family.
1. Portion Control
The amount of food we eat is very important for our health. That’s why it is necessary to control the portions of your family. You will be surprised, but it is one of the easiest things you can do for them. For example, to make your husband and children eat less than usually you can use smaller dishes. That will surely prevent them from overeating. It is a nice idea to serve the table with filled plates. In such way people will not have any chance to take as much food as they want. There is no need to fill your stomach completely as only in 20 minutes your brain will get a signal from your body that you are not hungry. Don’t eat too much. Let your brain find out if it needs some extra food. A few months ago I was lucky to find fantastic plates which tell the amount of each food group you should include into your portion. They helped me very much. It should be mentioned that the color of your dishes also influences the portion you consume. The main rule is to keep the contrast between the color of the plate and the food. Blue is the color which will help you to eat smaller portions.
2. Do Shopping Together
I’m sure that your family will become happier and healthier if you have some common interests and do certain activities together, sharing your positive emotions with each other. Shopping is one of the activities you can do together with the whole family. There are a lot of ways to have fun while you are at the supermarket. For instance, you can compete with others in search of healthy foods, eliminating junk food from your list. Try not to grab all the goods from the shelves thoughtlessly. Make sure you control the salt, sugar and fat content on the foods. I would advise you to take those items which include 3g of fat per 100g. Choose the foods that have no more than 5g of sugar per 100g. You should be careful with low-fat products as they can be high in sugar. If eating such foods you are subjected to further snacking. In such way all the family members will participate in making healthy choices.
3. Don’t Watch TV Too Much
A lot of people prefer to watch their favorite series or TV program after a hard working day. But we should remember that there are so many other things that are closer to our real life. Why not go for a walk to the local park with your children? They will certainly enjoy the time spent with you. This is a wonderful outdoor activity which can be beneficial for your mind and body. Take at least 30 minutes every day to stroll with your family. If the weather is nasty you can leave at home and play some game, like Twister. It is really entertaining activity by doing which you can also burn some calories after dinner.
4. Cook Together
Cooking is one of my hobbies. You can also try it with your family. A lot of fun and positive emotions are guaranteed to you. No matter what dish you are cooking, involve everyone into that process. They can simply peel the potatoes or chop the vegetables, but anyway every member of your family will make an effort to cook delicious and healthy dinner. Such common activity will certainly help your children to acquire cooking skills which they need for their future.
5. Share Tips
Another option for a healthy lifestyle that you can try with your family is sharing some tips concerning healthy eating. Everyone should look for efficient tips and recipes and recommend them to the others. It will be even more entertaining and funny if you make a competition. The main idea of this common activity is to focus on the necessity of healthy foods but not on your perfect appearance. First of all, the food we consume should make us stronger and it should be the major source of our energy. Don’t be obsessed with the idea of weight loss, you’d better care more for your health.
6. Exercise Together
What can be healthier than doing physical exercises? You will get a great pleasure from this activity if you do it together with your family. Nowadays there is a wide range of fitness clubs everywhere. So, you can easily join one of them. In addition, when you exercise together you will have more chances to unite as a family and improve your relationship. In case you can’t attend a gym for training, a lot of other choices are available for you. You will get fit while jogging in the park or riding a bike.
7. Have an Active Rest
Surely, we all like to spend holidays with our families. We think thoroughly about the places that are worth visiting and the activities we can enjoy all together. For most of us, rest and journeys are associated with sea, sun and lots of tasty foods. But sometimes we should deviate from these stereotypes and make something different and unusual. You will get an unforgettable experience if you try an adventure holiday, combining relaxation with some active entertainments. A great number of amazing activities, such as hiking, skiing or water sports can be offered to you when you visit various resorts.
To my mind, these are the most effective ways to help your family lead a healthy lifestyle. Choose some of them that you consider to be the most suitable for your family. It’s up to you to do everything possible for the health and well-being of those you love. If you have any other ideas, please let us know.