Maintaining a healthy weight and warding off diseases like diabetes, heart disease, asthma, and high blood pressure are just two of the many benefits of leading an active, healthy lifestyle. Maintaining the wellbeing of your loved ones is crucial. However, parenting is never a walk in the park. You and your kids have a lot on your plates.

Luckily, there are some easy strategies to instill in your family a lifetime of good health and sound decision-making. Read on to find out what some of them are. 

Photo by Valeria Ushakova

Exercise 

Exercise is a crucial part of staying healthy, and it’s good to teach your children about this early on. However, it doesn’t have to be all about weight loss and muscle building (and actually shouldn’t be for children). You don’t even have to think about the gym or having a set exercise routine. 

Instead, have a friendly competition to see who can do the most jumping jacks, hold a plank position for the longest amount of time, or perform the most pushups during the commercial breaks or in between episodes on Netflix. Everyone in the family should make time for play, and it’s a great way to get exercise without even knowing about it. 

Eat Together 

Whenever you can, eat with your family. Try to eat well-balanced meals in reasonable quantities, and also try to eat less sugar and saturated fat. 

To make things even better and to help teach your kids good health habits, have your children pick out healthy foods at the store and cook with you. They will learn good life skills along the way, and you’ll be able to bond – plus, you’ll be much healthier as a result. 

Pick A Habit To Quit 

Have each family member pick a health goal they want to work on, like eating less sugary food or spending less time in front of the TV. If you smoke, this is a great one to work on and quit. 

For the children, these habits might not seem so difficult to stop, and you can help them in every way you can. However, the adults might have more difficulties, and in extreme cases, this could mean addiction treatment. No matter what, understand that you have these habits and knowing it’s time to quit for the sake of your health and your family is vital. 

Another great way to encourage yourself to stay current on your new habits is to find a new motivation. For many, getting new activewear is a phenomenal mood booster and encouragement to get in the gym or just to stay moving & active.

Get Quality Sleep 

For kids to do well, they need to get enough sleep. Aim for an early bedtime and a regular way to wind down, but don’t use a screen. Remember that kids who don’t get enough sleep often get more excited and active instead of slowing down, making things even harder. 

Of course, it’s not just children who need to sleep well to function properly; adults do too. If you’re making bedtime rules and routines for your children, it’s worthwhile making some for yourself too. Try to get about eight hours of sleep each night in a cool, dark room without any screens, and the difference should be immediate and impressive.