As parents, there’s nothing we want more than to keep our families healthy and happy. We’re all aware that it takes a lot to keep a whole family healthy because each individual has varying health status and makes different decisions impossible for us to control.
That’s why in the small control over what we have when it comes to maintaining our family’s health, we should put in as many interventions as possible to ensure that everyone’s healthy physically, mentally, and emotionally.
The changes you’re about to make will take a bit of adjusting at first, but you and your family will get used to the new and healthier ways of living. It can even be difficult to get everyone to commit.
Here are ways you can keep yourself and your loved ones healthy:
1. Learn to stay active and go outside often.
People of all ages need to remain physically active and be exposed to natural elements. But in today’s busy population who’d rather spend hours watching things online, it’s not easy to get everyone together and exercise outdoors.
If your kids are still young, it’s okay not to bring them with you during your outdoor exercises. Bringing them along would do more harm than good. You won’t focus on your workout, and it’s not safe to run around with children outside.
But if they’re old enough and should be exercising instead of binge-watching series online and playing video games, it’s a good idea to encourage them to lessen the hours they spend in front of their electronics and explore the great outdoors.
You can make it appealing for them by planning a camping or beach trip for the weekends.
2. Eat healthily.
If you can influence what the whole family has to eat throughout the day, you better make something out of it. Prepare delicious, healthy, and well-balanced meals to keep yourself and your family protected from diseases and get the adequate nutrition you all need to stay healthy.
Aside from preparing healthy meals, encourage everyone to drink as much water as they can. You can do this by making water dispenses accessible to everyone and providing drinking bottles for the younger ones who can’t get their water without causing a mess.
Decrease the times you buy other beverages such as juice and carbonated drinks. Make drinking water fun for the kids by giving them fun straws, freezing water into shapes, and flavoring water with pieces of their favorite fruits.
To take things up a notch, you and your family can consult professionals who can help your whole family when it comes to diet and staying healthy, such as advisors who went through a clinical health coach training program.
3. Be strict with bedtime routines.
Your children may hate you for forcing them to go to sleep instead of watching TV or playing late into the night, but they’ll thank you for doing this the next day. As a grown-up, you’re aware that lack of sleep can lead to us feeling tired all day, decreasing productivity and energy levels.
It can make them more susceptible to getting sick for children, as lack of sleep can contribute to a compromised immune system in people of all ages. Establishing a consistent time for bed will help everyone get the right amount of sleep they need and wake up at the right time.
4. Limit screen time.
Your children likely own a gadget where they can play games and watch kids’ videos in. That’s perfectly fine and understandable. But what isn’t is letting them spend more than a few hours using them. Letting them use gadgets for a long time will also make them dependent on them for entertainment.
Not only will this comprise their eyesight, but they can also be exposed to things they shouldn’t be exposed to online at their age. Spending a lot of time using screens that emit blue light can also make it difficult for them to fall asleep, which can ruin their sleeping routine.
You’re all too familiar with how terrible it feels to go about your day without enough sleep. Your kids will be moving around a lot; they need the extra juice.
Being the head of a household comes with many responsibilities, especially when it comes to keeping everyone’s health checked. But what you shouldn’t forget as you do what you can to take care of your loved ones is your well-being. Make sure to take care of yourself so you can take care of them. Apply the care methods you apply to your family to yourself, too.
