Making Healthy Changes As A Family
How many of you have trouble getting your families on board when it comes to making healthy changes? I know I did, and still do sometimes! I have found a few tips and tricks to help make the transition a little easier on everyone. It mostly comes down to compromising and knowing your bare minimums.
Start by opening up the conversation of what you would like to happen and why. Let your family know it is important to you to start being a healthier person and family. By sharing your whys with them it helps them better understand the importance of this transition for you. Then let them tell you what it means to them to be healthy. Depending on how old your kids are they may have some sarcastic answers, but hey at least they are talking to you! Keep the conversation going, practice patiences, and stay positive.
Explore recipes together, you’re not going to go from eating pasta to spaghetti squash over night so remember to start slowly. Look in your current cookbooks for recipes that look healthy to you, remember better is better. If your family is currently eating zero vegetables, start by adding in one vegetable at dinner. Pick an easy one that everyone likes, for us it was green beans or salad. Eventually you will graduate to two vegetables a day. Small steps in the right direction are better than staying the same.
When it comes to exercise be willing to try new things. If someone likes playing basketball, go play basketball for a few minutes. If someone likes walking, go for walks around the neighborhood, we live in a beautiful area with plenty of paths and trails to explore! If you like lifting weights, show your family your favorite lifts and movements.
If nothing else know what your bare minimums are, your absolute minimum expectations. Know your one, most important goal for yourself and family. Make it simple in the beginning so you know you will succeed. Also know that change begins with you. Start portraying the lifestyle you want by being a good role model. Your family will be more likely to follow along if you are showing instead of telling.
All of these changes start with opening up the conversation. Of course not everyone is going to be thrilled right away or all the time, but when everyone gets a voice everything seems to move in the right direction!