Tips for a Healthy Family

Keep The Entire Family Healthy By Following Some Tips There’s no reason that tackling health concerns can’t be a team effort, and who better to do so with than the family. Family medicine experts say that building a healthy family strategy to include lifestyle choices and working a game plan together often yields much more […]

There’s no reason that tackling health concerns can’t be a team effort, and who better to do so with than the family.

Family medicine experts say that building a healthy family strategy to include lifestyle choices and working a game plan together often yields much more success!

Explore the variety of ways to get healthy as a family and then get busy implementing them so the family can always be at its best.

Eat Well

In order for the entire family to stay at a healthy weight, they all have to eat! Starving to lose weight is not the answer. Fueling up on a daily basis will keep everyone from feeling like they have an insatiable appetite. This is when the hormone that controls hunger, ghrelin, spikes up! It takes about a half hour for that particular hormone to go back to normal once a person starts eating!

By the time it subsides, most have eaten many more calories than they need. Keeping healthy snacks on hand is important, and a family medicine specialist can help everyone put together a meal plan that they approve of.

When it comes to a busy family lifestyle, not having a healthy go-to option for every person can spell disaster. When this is the case, members are more likely to make bad choices on the fly. However, if a couple of common, easy items are purchased when grocery shopping it’ll be much easier!

Oatmeal, an all-natural cereal, nuts, raisins and even homemade granola are great options, as well as Greek yogurt and fruit. These quick breakfasts mean that family members don’t have to do much to have a quick breakfast, especially throughout the week!

For lunch, things like vegetable soup, fresh lunch meat, tuna and whole grain bread are perfect. Peanut butter sandwiches and a piece of fruit are great for kids! The fruit substitutes for jelly since it’s loaded with sugar, which family medicine professionals say is a big contributor to unhealthy kids.

Exercise Doesn’t Have to be Boring

It’s crucial for every member of the family to strive to get at least 20 minutes of exercise per day. It may sound simple but when traveling to a gym or park, that eats up a lot of crucial time for busy families. Family medicine pros say that the 20 minutes can easily be done at home.

Take a walk around the neighborhood

• Play a sport
• Go for a bike ride
• Alternate push-ups and crunches
• Turn on a workout DVD or webcast and do it as a family
• Try Wii Fit or any video game that help everyone move

These are just a few ideas that will get you moving. It’s also a great time for family bonding which also keeps everyone healthy and happy.

It’s up to the parents to ensure that the kids only eat healthy foods. That’s why it’s best to not even buy cookies and chips or similar junk foods. If they’re not in the house, no one can eat them! It’s that simple. Nuts, pretzels, fruits and veggies that are cut up and ready to eat will be a great substitute and if the kids… or adults get hungry enough they’ll eat them!

Before long, implementing this rule no one will even miss the goodies. Once the body gets off of bad products that include too much salt and sugar, it starts craving the good stuff.

Eat as a Family

Eating together every night is more important than one would think. Ask any family medicine expert and they’ll say that the emotional bond of a family that sits down to a meal together is priceless. It opens up an opportunity to really talk, and can even improve confidence and grades!
.
.
.
Author credit: Jamie J
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9342804