In as little as thirty days, you and your family can make that healthy change from overweight and lethargic to active and rugged. More studies now show that thirty days is more than enough to make exercise and eating well a habit. Here are some suggestions to incorporate healthy habits into your family's everyday lifestyle. As a family you might want to play more active games together. We're not talking of running a marathon in a month, but more of fun indoor family games. "Twist and Shout" is a good idea. Five or six rounds of Twister will give everyone some flexibility. You can also walk around the mall. Go up and down corridors in a half hour lap and then browse the stores only when you've finished thirty minutes of walking. Cool down at interesting exhibits and bookstores. You can also hit the museum and do the same. Create your own training circuit at home using places and materials you already have. You can run up and down the stairs, jump rope, ride the stationary bike and do crunches in the living room al under half an hour. Keep rotating and switch activities with other members after five minutes or so to prevent boredom. You can also play dance music and encourage the kids to dance along wit you. Dancing can burn a lot of calories in ten minutes. If you have a backyard pool, get everyone to jump in and do ten laps each. If you have a garden, get everyone involved in the gardening activities. Try raking leaves instead of using a leaf blower. Raking leaves leisurely can burn a few calories, so try to challenge yourself by raking the entire lawn in less than 30 minutes. Then when muscles are warm enough, put up a ladder and get everyone to wash down the windows or the gutters. You can also do a few push ups against the house walls when your done cleaning. Tilling the garden is a good activity for children and burns up to a hundred calories in twenty minutes. The boys can stack firewood and power washes the car. Older children can also move the furniture outside and do the vacuuming on the lawn. Make sure everyone takes regular 10 minute breaks and drinks water often. Kids can also tote the wheelbarrow and carry lighter objects in and out the house. Cooling down will need the easier and slower activities. Trimming the weeds, cleaning up the garage and picking a few blooms are good cooldown activities. Everyone should do a few easy stretches to prevent cramps and stiffening. Results may not be apparent the next day but the fact that you've worked your body for an hour can help your body detoxify and get you to sleep better. As a family, write down your realistic daily, weekly and monthly goals toward fitness. Write the down in a conspicuous place where everyone can be reminded of their commitment towards healthy living and exercise. To make sure you complement these activities with healthy eating, prepare a healthy breakfast everyday and get everyone to eat light, natural snacks every four hours. The last meal of the day should be eaten before 7 pm and no midnight snacks should be allowed. Consult your family physician as to what types of food your family must avoid. Avoid eating out as much as you can-try to get everyone to master a simple and nutritious dish and get everyone to cook at least once a week. Most importantly, support each other in the whole process and do everything well within moderation because healthy weight loss is never quick and rushed. |
