How to Help Keep Your Family Healthy

These are steps to help prevent obesity and its related conditions including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and hypertension (high blood pressure). These suggestions will improve the health of your spouse, partner, children and self. I have written this for the typical family, but these steps can apply to anyone!

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Happy, healthy families eat together! Eat meals as a family. Research has shown that the more meals children eat with their families, the better their nutrition (and even academic and social) habits become.
2. All activities are healthy, even if they aren't typical! Make time for outdoor activities. Even if it has to be scheduled the same time every week, take your kids to the park or walk together to run errands. Exercising together instills a positive association with active lifestyles for children and motivates your partner to join you! Other ideas include joining community sports clubs, bringing the neighborhood kids together for a game, letting your children's imagination create new activities and playing with them.
3. Limit television viewing. Studies have shown that the more TV children watch, the more likely they are to lead sedentary lifestyles. Try taking a walk after dinner, playing board games, reading a story.
4. Set a healthy example. If you do not want to impose strict rules, then make these changes for yourself and invite your family to join you. When you live healthy, research suggests the rest of your household will too!