Five Ways to Stay Healthy (as a Family!) this Summer

You guys are well aware how important losing weight and improving my overall health has been for me this year (and last year, too!). I’ve been working out at least three times a week, I’ve worked hard to change my diet, and I’m spending more time actively making healthier choice. I DO NOT get it right every time (I fail way more often than I’d like to admit), but by just being hyper-aware of my choices, I’ve felt like I’ve made MASSIVE strides.

One of the things that has been SO helpful is to have my family – especially my husband support me along the way AND to participate WITH ME in my quest to get healthier. And, while our daughter Lilly doesn’t really know what’s fully going on, we’ve had HER participate in the process too!

And, the thing is, even though it really all started out for me as just a quest to losing weight, it has really started to have a trickle down effect. I’m losing weight and we’re getting healthier and it’s lead to improved mood, sleep, and less time feeling sick and less time spent in the doctor’s office (which saves us money!)! Huzzah! It’s an awesome cycle.

Plus, it’s so much easier to make better choices when I’ve got my family holding me accountable. You know?

So, as summer quickly approaches, I thought I’d just share five tips that, as a family, we’ve incorporated into our lives as a quest to get healthier! Some of these may seem like common sense, but I promise, I have a point! 🙂 

Five Ways to Stay Healthy (as a Family!) this Summer

1. Get outside.

This is probably my favorite thing about warmer weather… we can be OUTSIDE. Americans spend approximately 70%-80% of their time INDOORS. No wonder we all feel like yuck!

Use the warm weather to your advantage and just get OUTSIDE. The fact is, the more you’re outside, the more likely you are to be active and moving! Not sitting on the couch watching Netflix all day. Plus, you’ll get all that awesome vitamin D from the sunshine! (Just remember to wear your sunscreen! Haha!)

2. Have a family “water drinking” challenge

Your body needs approximately 60%-80% of your body weight in OUNCES of water a day to function at it’s best. So, let’s say you weight 150 pounds, you need to be drinking 90-120 OUNCES of water a day! That’s a lot of water.

How much water are you drinking currently??

To get you to drink more water, start by doing a family water drinking challenge! Maybe you can record how much water you’re drinking each day and then, at the end of the week, whoever has had the most water (make it relative to your body weight for fairness), has to treat the other one to dinner… or maybe you get a foot rub… haha! Whatever it is, put something fun on the line! Make it a fun challenge.

3. Be active… DAILY!

Did you know that 80% of Americans don’t get enough physical activity? It doesn’t surprise me at all. So, make a pledge to do something active every. single. day. You don’t have to necessarily get to the gym (I mean sure, that would be nice… but it’s not realistic) but just do SOMETHING active.

Go for a walk as a family after dinner. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park farther away when you go to the store. Try a gymnastics class. Run up and down the stairs a few times. Ride your bike. Do crunches on the floor on your lunch break. Whatever it is, find something, anything active to do every single day.

4. Cook at home together

The more you eat at home, the less likely you are to binge on fast food and other foods that are probably not all that great for you. My family and I eat at home at least 6 of 7 meals a week… if not all 7 meals a week. We just don’t eat out all that much… not that we don’t ever… but it has really become more of a treat or special occasion-type thing.

Instead, we treasure our family dinners around the table. And, we’ve incorporated fresh, local produce into our meals through participating in a CSA (community supported agriculture) program. So, we eat lots of fresh veggies, meat, and eggs… and we cook together! Well, let’s be honest… I cook. My husband likes to grill! And Lilly makes the best sous chef ever.

5. Go to bed earlier

It’s no secret (or surprise) that your body NEEDS sleep… and the more sleep you get, the more energy you will have to stay alert and active, and your body will have had ample time to recharge, rest, and regenerate. So, skip the extra episode of your favorite TV show and get to bed 3o-60 minutes earlier than normal. Get that full 8 hours of sleep. I promise you’ll see a HUGE improvement in your health and well being!

So there you have it… five tips for staying healthy as a family this summer.

It all goes back to really just being aware of our choices and conscious of what we are doing to and WITH our bodies.

What do you think? What tips do YOU have? Do you have any you’d like to share? Which tip are you going to implement right away?