Download a PDF version of our Healthy Tips.  

Happy New Year! In honor of Family Fit Lifestyle Month, we have some tips on how to keep your family happy and healthy throughout 2013.

1)      Make Healthy Eating Fun!

Healthy eating usually is dismissed as being boring or flavorless. Make healthy eating fun by cutting fruits and vegetables into fun shapes by using cookie cutters. Try to make a meal that incorporates various colors. Remember, most people (especially children) eat with their eyes first. A colorful and fun plate will go a long way in encouraging them to eat better!

2)      Make Shopping Trips a Family Outing

There are several ways to get your whole family involved in healthy eating. One way is to go food shopping as a family. One way to liven up the trip is by holding a “scavenger hunt” amongst your children to see if they can guess what foods are good for them and what foods are “sometimes foods”. You can also try to have them pronounce ingredients in snacks that are popular amongst children.  This can serve as a lesson to explain that manufacturers often use ingredients that are not naturally found. For example, “Froot Loops” contains no actual fruit in it.

3)      Hold A Healthy Contest With Other Families

Encourage other families to be healthy with you and flex your competitive muscles by hosting contests, such as a “steps contest” to see who can walk the most within a time period. Additionally, you may enroll in the Presidential ‘s Challenge (https://www.presidentschallenge.org) together.

4)      Make Family Time An Active Time

A family that works out together gets healthy together!  Instead of hosting a family movie night, why not go for a walk? You don’t have to set aside a lot of time to be active together, either. Healthy family time can be as short as doing jumping jacks together in-between commercials.

5)      Try Healthy-Themed Dinner Nights

Try to plan your meals around setting aside nights to be extra-healthy. You can achieve this by having “Meatless Mondays” or “Salad Saturdays”. Additionally, you can vow to try a new fruit or vegetable at least once a week.