Healthy New Year’s Resolutions For the Entire Family

By Dorris Glaspy, FNP

Lifetime Family Medicine

. http://www.ltfm.net/

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Healthy New Year’s Resolutions For the Entire Family

It is the beginning of a new year. It is a natural time to think about setting personal goals. For parents, the beginning of the year 2019 is a perfect opportunity to discuss the importance of healthy diets and exercise with your children. During this conversation, it is just as important to discuss setting goals and how to achieve them. Transitioning your family into a healthier lifestyle also needs support from one another. Family support is key for success and sitting down to discuss healthy habits is essential. Here are three tips to achieve success:
1. Having fun while eating healthy
The entire family should be having fun when trying to achieve their new year’s resolutions. Not only is this an opportunity for children to challenge themselves but also plan out and commence exciting activities. If the goal is to eat healthier, round up the entire family to jump into the kitchen and involve themselves into grocery shopping and meal preparation.
There are tons of healthy new recipes you can find online or replace current recipes with delicious vegetable alternatives. This is also an opportunity to seek out and try new vegetables at the store. Having your older children find new recipes themselves is also a good way to engage them in the process.
2. Ask for your children’s input
Discuss with your children the kinds of goals they want to reach. Break down this goal into smaller short- term goals. As an example, if the long-term goal is to add more fruits and vegetables to their diet, a short-term goal may be to challenge your children to eat fruits or vegetables as an afternoon snack. Maintain your children’s goals by keeping healthy choices stocked in the refrigerator.
3. Organize healthy choices in your pantry
If you keep junk food in your pantry then you are at high risk of failure. Although, it may seem very simple but do not have tempting foods available. If your family is craving ice cream, it is better to make it a trip outside of the house rather than keeping it in the freezer. For constant temptation, keep fruits and vegetables available for snacking.
To get your family involved and achieving success, it takes smaller steps like these. Although, these are small steps, it will go a long way. Last but not least, showing your children that you are practicing healthy eating habits plays a pivotal role in their success. Modeling healthy eating habits to your children inspires them to do the same.