Families That Make Healthy Lifestyle Choices Together, Stay Healthy Together
The start of a new year is a popular time to make resolutions to help you live your best health life for the next twelve months. Too often, though, these new year’s resolutions are short-lived. For goals to work, they need to be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, results-focused and time-bound
Here are some ideas for attaining your wellness goals in 2018:
Dream Team
Gather your family for a discussion of each member’s health dream. It is only when everyone feels heard and valued as a valuable individual in the team, that a team can achieve its goals. When living together as a family, it is essential that you work as a team to boost each other’s chances of success.
Fuel Up Regularly
Many new year’s resolutions involve losing weight. In our instant-gratification world, fad diets are a dime a dozen, and very tempting at the beginning of January. However, starving yourself does not work. When you are insatiably hungry, ghrelin (the hunger hormone) surges, but it takes half an hour for it to regulate once you eat. In the meantime, however, chances are you have already eaten far too much. Plan ahead, and ensure that there are always healthy snacks in your pantry, handbag, car, school bag and/or office.
Simplify Breakfast and Lunch
Your days are no doubt hectic. Being pushed for time often leads to bad, grab-and-go food choices. Again, planning and preparation are the cornerstones of healthy eating. Assemble your breakfasts and lunches ahead of time so that they are as quick and easy as the garage shop, but much better for you.
Breakfast Ideas:
• Prepare overnight oats the night before,
• Decant muesli, fruit salad and yoghurt into sealable jars and store a week’s worth in the fridge,
• Bake and freeze eggy muffins – simply defrost the night before.
Lunch Ideas:
• Make healthy lunch boxes the night before,
• Prepare protein and salad jars in sealable jars and store a week’s worth in the fridge,
• Cook thick, healthy soups and then freeze in single portions – simply defrost the night before.
Get Moving
Establish a routine that before your family is allowed to touch the television remote, you all have to get your heart rates up for 20 minutes every day. Here are some exercise ideas that are fun and easy – best of all, they don’t require a gym membership:
• Skip in your driveway,
• Have a crunches and push-ups challenge,
• Do 20 minutes of a workout video,
• Go for a brisk walk around your neighbourhood.
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