Healthy Families

Physical fitness as a family? YES!

Studies show kids that FEEL confident and competent to be physically active WILL BE more physically active. How do they achieve this confidence? How about as a FAMILY. Getting together with family and friends is a GREAT first step toward the goal of physical fitness.

Children need 60 minutes of play with moderate to vigorous activity every day, but it doesn't have to occur all at once. It adds up!

Here are a few activities and steps that you and your family can consider to get started on a path to a healthier lifestyle:

• Give children toys that encourage physical activity, such as balls, kites and jump ropes. 
• Encourage children to join a sports team or try a new physical activity. 
• Limit TV time and keep the TV out of the child’s bedroom. 
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator. 
• Walk around the block after a meal. 
• Make a new house rule: no sitting still during television commercials. Create a game. How many sit-ups can you do during the break? 
• Find time to spend together doing a fun activity. Plan a family park day, swim day or bike day. I'm still talking about family bike rides. I saw them ALL THE TIME when I was a kid. 
• Talk to your children’s principal or write a letter to your district superintendent to incorporate more physical education in schools. 
• Encourage schools to hold recess prior to lunch to increase physical activity before mealtime. 
• Volunteer to help with after school physical activity programs or sports teams. 
• Be sure that children get the sleep they need. Most children under age five need to sleep 11 hours or more per day, children age five to 10 need 10 hours of sleep or more per day, and children over age 10 need at least nine hours per day. 

What About Nutrition?

A busy family can benefit from food that's nutritious AND easy to eat on-the-go, like fresh fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are a natural source of energy and give bodies the nutrients they need to keep moving.

Think Color

Fruits and vegetables are great sources of many vitamins and minerals and can help prevent chronic diseases. Try eating fruits and vegetables of different colors to give your family a wide range of valuable nutrients like fiber, folate, potassium, and vitamins A and C. Some examples include green spinach, orange sweet potatoes, black beans, yellow corn, purple plums, red watermelon, and white onions. Encourage children to try new fruits and vegetables regularly.

Children and families tend to consume more of the foods that they can easily access. Keep fruits and vegetables within reach and you’re more likely to make healthy choices.

Tip: Replace a candy dish with a fruit bowl.

Tip: Store especially tempting foods, like cookies, chips, or ice cream, out of immediate eyesight, like on a high shelf or at the back of the freezer. Move the healthy food to the front at eye level.

Ideas to Eat More Fruits and Vegetables Everyday

Eat fruit raw to enjoy its natural sweetness.

Canned or frozen fruits and vegetables are good options when fresh produce is not available. Be careful to choose those without added sugar, syrup or cream sauces.

Choose whole fruit over fruit drinks and juices. Fruit juices have lost fiber from the fruit. It’s better to eat the whole fruit because it contains the added fiber that helps you feel full.

It is going to take a combined effort. Lots of small changes. It is easy to take your family out to lunch for burgers and fries. Maybe go to a movie and have some candy or soda. Grab some "quick food" on the way home. Eat dinner in front of the TV. Let your kids play video games while you do something separately. That is a typical weekend for a lot of families. BUT WHAT IF ... What if you planned a day out? Packed a picnic. Rode your bikes to the park. Played catch. Rode back home and had dinner at a table and TALKED. Perhaps even going to bed at a reasonable hour for a change. Is that really HARDER? I don't think so. It might be a bit of a shift in thinking. But shifts can be a good thing ...

-Christopher Sacks