This article gives you information on how to create a healthy-weight environment at home. Follow these tips to ensure good health for all family members.
Useful Tips
Here are some useful tips for you to follow to maintain a healthy-weight environment at home:
- Stock your pantry with healthy foods like whole-grain items, vegetables and fruits. Do not buy sugary drinks and junk food.
- Eat at home. Avoid going to fast-food restaurants. If possible, sit together during meal time. Plan new menus including healthy alternatives. Ensure all family members eat reasonable portions. Allow seconds only for vegetables, fruit and salad. Allow your kids to take part in shopping and preparing meals.
- Encourage your kids to take part in physical activities. Organize family outings involving physical activity. You can walk to the public library or bike together. Ask your children to do daily chores such as walking the dog or washing the car. Allow your kids to take part in community or school sports. Encourage them to skip rope, dance and do vigorous exercises.
- Limit screen time for the household. Do not allow each family member to spend more than an hour or two each day before the television and computer. This rule should also apply to dad and mom. Keep you bedroom free of TVs and computers. Don’t allow family members to eat in front of the computer or TV.
Lead by Example
Lead from the front and set an ideal example for all family members. So, change yourself first before expecting others to change. You can become a role model by doing the following things:
- Consume nutritious foods
- Don’t buy junk food
- Limit your food portion sizes
- Eat high-calorie snacks and treats only on special occasions
- Turn off the computer and TV during meal times
- Do some vigorous physical activity each day
- Educate your family members on the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle
There is no doubt that changing to a healthy lifestyle can be challenging at first. But, encourage and support each other. In course of time, healthy habits would definitely become routine. When this happens you would be able to ward off overweight and obesity and improve your family’s overall health.
