Parents have a lot of responsibilities, but one of the most important is encouraging their family members to pursue healthy lifestyle habits like healthy eating, exercise, and stress management. In fact, working together can bring everyone closer. How can you do it?
Eat together. Family dinner time may seem hopelessly old-fashioned, but it’s a powerful and effective tool for supporting everyone’s physical and mental health. In addition to eating together, encouraging children to help with shopping and food preparation builds their confidence and prepares them for life as adults. You can even have everyone work together to plan healthy meals everyone is likely to enjoy. (Growing vegetables is another opportunity for help.)
Play together. Exercise is important, and family members will be more likely to exercise regularly if they’re having fun. Walking and biking together is a great example. Instead of spending the weekend staring at digital devices, travel to a nearby state park and hike together, or bring everyone to the swimming pool. Formal sports like pickleball and golf can be fun for families, as can more informal activities like tossing a frisbee or playing kickball.
Invest in family time. Waiting until everyone’s available and willing to do something can take forever, so schedule set times when you’ll join together. Maybe Thursday evenings can become family game nights.
Protect sleep. Whether you’re an infant or a grandparent, adequate sleep is one of the key factors in being physically and mentally healthy. Enforcing bedtimes and rules about using devices before bed can help everyone get the healthy sleep they need.
Participate. Community activities are often an affordable way for families to have fun together. Volunteering for charities or other groups can teach kids about the importance of playing active roles in the places they live. It’s also a great way to make new friends with people who share your interests.
Choose happiness. Happiness is largely a choice, based on how we react to things that happen to and around us. If you make a concerted effort to be happier, you’ll model behaviors your kids will also adopt. (The same thing is true if you act glum and grouchy.)
Need help? If you’re not sure what you can do to enhance everyone’s health, or there are communications or other problems among family members, you can sit down with a professional counselor for practical advice. We have several professionals who focus on serving the needs of families, and we’d be happy to set up a convenient time for you.