Focus on becoming the healthiest version of yourself.
Raising a healthy family in today’s world comes from the ability to make wise choices through four behaviours geared toward family health – Lifestyle, Exercise, Attitude and Nutrition (L.E.A.N).
Here are the top health tips that you can practice to be a healthier you.
Shape their young tastes:
Introduce your kids to the flavour of fresh foods right from the start. Feed your family as many foods that are free of artificial sweeteners, colourings and preservatives as you can. If you present nutritious foods as the norm and eat them yourself, your children will eat them, too. Families who eat only real foods are likely to grow healthier children who grow up to prefer real foods later on.
Begin the day with a brainy breakfast:
Breakfast is just what the word says – break the overnight fast. Eating breakfast allows you to restock the energy stores that have been depleted overnight and begin the day with a tank full of the right fuel. Breakfast also programs your child’s eating habits for the rest of the day. Research indicates that children who eat a healthy breakfast such as whole-grain cereal, eggs, or a fruit and yoghurt smoothie tend to be more attentive and better behaved at home and school than breakfast-skippers.
Move!:
Movement is good medicine! By increasing circulation, the body releases natural medicines that lower the highs, such as high blood pressure; raise the lows, such as depression; and heal your aches, such as swollen joints. Exercise burns fat increases muscle flexibility, decreases the risk of a number of major diseases and releases feel-good hormones that contribute to the overall sense of well-being.
Nurture a positive and calm atmosphere:
You can’t control stressful situations, but you can control your reaction to them. A calm heart and mind is an important key to health. While stress is a fact of life, you can help your household learn how to effectively deal with it. Relax through meditations, deep breathing and music that mellows the mind. Relaxation boosts happy hormones. Instead of wasting energy worrying, help them focus on solutions and turning problems into opportunities.
Cut back on screen time:
Work to remove all electronic screens – including tablets, phones and televisions – from each bedroom in your home. This will not only help your family go to bed earlier, but it will also help them sleep better. Keep the TV in the family room, and make movie or TV-show watching a family affair. Whether it is breakfast, lunch or dinner, ditch the electronics and focus on making conversation with one another.
Don’t let the ads on TV tell you what’s good for your family. It is your responsibility. You care, so work towards having a healthier family.