Healthy Habits for Families + Small Changes to Implement Them

The Perfect Time for Some New Healthy Habits!

The new year – when everyone is making their New Year’s resolutions and choosing their focus words for the year – always prompts me to reassess my health and the health of my family.  How are the kids’ eating habits?  Are we getting enough physical activity?  What is the stress level like in our home?  Are Cliff and I modeling healthy habits?  And when I answer these questions… we’re FAR from perfect.  I mean… we need tons of work.  And I don’t expect to solve all of our issues with one new year.  But I know we can make small changes that can help.  Here are some healthy habits I hope to work on as a family this year.

This is a sponsored conversation on behalf of Pfizer Pediatric Portfolio. However, all opinions are authentic and my own. Please see my disclosure policy.

Healthy Habits for the Whole Family + How I Plan to Implement Them

1. Less Sugar & More Healthy Protein – Oh boy do we need to work on this one.  Especially after the Christmas cookie laden holiday season.  And of course the more sweet treats we have, the less healthy food we eat.  Protein always seems to come in low in our family’s diet.  Some ways I plan to work on reducing sugar and increasing protein: 
   1. Get in the habit of making bacon and egg breakfast muffins on Sundays for the week ahead so we’ll have easy protein packed breakfasts to start our days.
   2. Keep a pitcher of lemon infused water in the fridge for an alternative to sugary juice.
   3. Try some new higher protein snack recipes for the kids (and I!).  On my list: Chocolate Coconut Protein Balls from Happiness is Homemade & Caramel Apple Pecan Energy Bites from Happy and Blessed Home
2. Less Takeout & More Family Dinner Time – The more hours I work (here on B-Inspired Mama), the more I tend to neglect meal planning and just resort to takeout.  And takeout always seems to just get eating here and there or wherever – instead of around the dinner table.  Here is how I plan to tackle the meal situation:
   1. Meal plan on Sundays for the week ahead, and grocery shop on Monday mornings.  Picklebum has some great tips and menu planning printables I’ll probably use.
   2. Keep my meals simple.  I’m going to work on a list of simple go-to meals my kids love and just rotate through them.
   3. Get the kids helping more in the meal making and table setting.  We’ve already been doing more dinnertime chores, and they love to help.
3. Less TV & More Physical Activity – We usually snuggle on the couch watching TV in the evenings.  I don’t want to give up our snuggle time and laughs at silly shows altogether, but I’d like to encourage more physical activity together.  I hesitate to call it exercise, because I don’t want my kids to feel pressure about that at a young age, but we all need it for our health.  Here’s what I plan to do to encourage more physical activity:
   1. Get back into a routine of evening yoga with the kids.  I’m thinking about getting this Yoga for Families DVD to try.
   2. Try to encourage more movement – especially proprioceptive and vestibular sensory input – for the kids.  Our mini trampoline has been outside; time to bring it back in.  And I’m going to try to remember to set up some fun indoor obstacle courses more often, too.
4. Less Stress & More Organization & Routines – One thing I’ve learned about myself as a person and parent: I function best with systems and routines.  But I struggle to make them and keep at them.  I hope to get better at that this year.  Here are a few things I plan to do to reduce stress:
   1. Continue using a family wall calendar.  This last year I’ve done pretty good at keeping a dry erase calendar in our kitchen updated with family appointments and events.  I hope to continue this.
   2. File & tidy up weekly.  I have a terrible time with letting mail and papers pile up on my work desk – which is right in the middle of our dining/family room – making a messy eyesore.  I need to set a specific day each week to file papers and tidy my desk.
   3. Organize and prep our family medicine box.  The new year is a perfect time to do a once-through of our family medicine box.  To take out what we don’t use, stock up on what we need, and make sure it’s secure and safe from the little ones.

I’ll Be Making Sure My Medicine Box is Stocked!

When we don’t feel so healthy and sick gets real, there are solutions we trust to help ease symptoms and make our kids more comfortable.

I always have these three in my medicine box:

• Children’s Advil® – Eases aches and pains, while reducing a child’s fever fast; for kids ages 2 through 11.
• Children’s Robitussin® DM Day/Night Pack (Children’s Robitussin® Cough & Chest Congestion and Children’s Robitussin® Nighttime Cough) – Gets rid of daytime coughs without making kids drowsy and helps soothe nighttime coughs, allowing kids to sleep more comfortably and get the rest they need to get better.
• Children’s Dimetapp® Cold & Allergy – Has congestion-fighting power, but also relieves itchy watery eyes from allergies.

I know these healthy habits can help us be a healthier, happier family.  Will we get them all right – all the time?  No way.  But every little positive lifestyle change helps.  And doing it as a family makes it easier and more fun.  Here’s hoping it keeps us stay healthier with less sickness, too.

What healthy habits do you practice with your kids?  Are there any that you plan to implement in the new year?  Join the conversation in the comments below!

More Inspiration for a Healthy Family from B-Inspired Mama:

    

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This is a sponsored conversation on behalf of Pfizer Pediatric Portfolio. However, all opinions are authentic and my own. Please see my disclosure policy.