6 Secrets to Staying Fit With Your Family

If there is anything new moms and seasoned moms can agree on, I’d say it would be how incredibly easy it is to fall into unhealthy habits when you’re running around with your family. Grabbing something quick from a drive through instead of cooking at home or collapsing on the couch instead of going for a walk are just a couple of examples of how busy families often forgo healthy choices.

Healthy living, however, is taught and cultivated within the family, and it’s never too late to start living an intentionally fit lifestyle. Here are seven secrets to staying fit with your family:

1) Walk, Walk, Walk, Walk, Walk

Way to multitask, Momma! Family walks aren’t just a great way to get moving together but you’re also crossing something off of your to-do list — the dog needs his walk, after all! Eating well and exercising are the two pillars of a healthy lifestyle, and both are necessary to be optimally fit. It’s a sad reality that one third of Americans are considered obese when something as simple as walking has such tremendous health benefits.

Of course, you don’t need to have a dog to go on a family walk! Even if you don’t have a dog, a walk before or after dinner is a great way to encourage communication and fit in some exercise for your family as well — and you can always try to spot dogs around the neighborhood.

2) Plan Your Meals a Week Ahead

By writing out your meal plan for the week, you’ll be equipped to resist the urge to stop for dinner on your way home from work or sports practice — you have a tasty homemade meal to look forward to! You can also make your life a little easier with some make-ahead meal ideas.

3) Dance Party: Exercise in Disguise

How can you exercise with your family without needing extra gear or a trip to the gym? Crank up your favorite music and have a dance party. Your heart rate will rise quickly and you and the whole family will be laughing up a storm. Did you know that even laughter burns calories?

4) Bring out the Fruit Bowl

Your kitchen can either make healthy living easy or make it nearly impossible. Bringing your fruit out of the bottom drawer of the fridge and placing it in a bowl in plain sight will make your family more likely to eat it — and more likely to make healthy food choices.

5) Work Toward a Goal Together

Sometimes it’s hard for members of a family to be inspired to make healthy choices day in and day out. By signing up for a local fun run or a 5K, your family can work together toward a common goal and support an important charitable cause as an added bonus. Even if you’ve got a little one, many fun runs accommodate jogging strollers.

6) Allow for Unhealthy Splurges

It’s impossible to stick entirely to a strict regime without any fats, sugars or salty snacks. What would life be without the occasional cupcake or ice cream cone? Sad – that’s what it would be. Knowing this, think about what you would like your splurge to be and enjoy it once or twice a week. Don’t do it every day — and not at every meal — but enough to avoid feeling deprived – and encourage your family to do the same!

Turn your family into a healthy living support system by following these seven secrets to staying fit.

What about you? How do you stay fit with your family? Post in the comments and let us know.