Staying Family Fit

When it comes to your family you will try your very best to make sure that everyone is healthy and happy. What does this really mean? Did you know, according to the CDC, most people have a family history of at least one chronic disease such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease? This can be a little disheartening when you are thinking of and trying to protect your family. It is important to help set up your family for success. Let us look more into this!

The Importance of Staying Healthy as a Family

Family fitness, especially exercising and otherwise living a healthy lifestyle, benefits not only your children and your own current and future health but also your family dynamic. According to the CDC, approximately 8 out of 19 children under the age of 7 are considered overweight. Approximately half of all Americans between 12-21 years old are not physically active regularly. This not only is a problem but raises an increased risk for obesity during their adulthood. Later in life, these children and adolescents experience even more of a greater
risk for more serious health conditions that can be potentially fatal. It is our responsibility to safeguard our children’s health and wellbeing. The best way to start is to establish healthy habits at an early age.

Where Do We Start?

You can always start by creating a family fitness plan. It does not have to be complicated or overwhelming, but achievable by your family. You can work on sending the message to your family that physical activity is quite fun, health habits make you feel good and will not feel like a chore. You can find creative ways to get moving together as a whole unit. Just remember, try not to use the word exercise. Some children tend to think of this as a chore and will be reluctant to try. Instead, try using fun terms to describe the activity. According to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, children aged 6 years and older should participate in at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day.

What activities are recommended? We can definitely look into this more:

• Enjoying the great outdoors
• Scheduling family playtime
• Choosing toys wisely
• Limiting screen time
• Planting a garden
• Chipping in with chores

There are multiple activities that you and your family can enjoy when trying to better your physical activity. Just remember it all starts with one small step in the right direction to get you where you are wanting to go.

Reversing the Bad Habits

Being physically active and eating well promotes disease prevention, weight loss, stress reduction, improved performance at school and work, increased longevity, and more. Reversing bad habits can be hard and tricky. It is up to the family as a unit to become more active and perform exercise together while creating healthy habits that can last a lifetime. These habits can provide a lot of good things you probably already know about. Let us look at ways to improve your family’s health and wellbeing:

• Establish lifelong habits – Exercising and encouraging physical activity for your children is a way to help them establish healthy habits that will last their lifetime. By creating a routine, you will teach your children to establish those healthy habits to carry them
  into adulthood.
• Bonding time – Group activities are a way to help build relationships, strengthen bonds, and build memories. By exercising as a way of bonding children experience increased communication and practice teamwork. These two skills can be particularly important in your children’s development. Also, group exercise is the perfect time to get to know your child.
• Leading by example – Your children watch what you do, every day and every moment. They are easily influenced by these actions.
  Incorporating healthy habits into your lifestyle, in full view of your children, is the best way to encourage them to create healthy habits of their own. It is also important to keep in mind that children listen to what they hear and see as well, and this can drastically affect their worldview.
• Improving emotional well-being – Children who exercise experience improved levels of confidence and self-esteem. A child’s
  emotional well-being can be positively impacted if activity is introduced to their routine. Exercise can also improve their levels
  of stress, anxiety, and depression by raising serotonin levels which can positively impact your child and you. Exercise can make you
  and your family happier all around! Your children will also learn better problem-solving skills. The quality of your family bonding and
  encouragement affects your children’s mental health and future mental health.
• Promote physical health – Exercise promotes physical health. Teaching your children the benefits of exercising and physical activity is important. Through physical activity, you can enhance your family’s fitness, increase strength and heart health, teach children better weight management, improve sleep, and boost their immune system.

Conclusion

Your family’s health and wellbeing is important. Starting with a small step can promote better, overall, healthy habits for your family. Try making exercise fun and use fun terms to describe the activity, instead of calling it exercise. Healthy habits can start when your children are young and then they can carry it with them into adulthood to establish their own healthy habits. Remember, make it fun and set goals that will your family is able to achieve.