Advertisement

8 Simple Ways to Boost Your Familys Health

fruit-924937_1920.jpg

When it comes to our families there is nothing more important than health and happiness. However, any parent with children of different ages, will know that it is not always easy to ensure all our children are making the best choices with food and exercise. It is also not always easy for busy mums to be able to know how to provide the best diet, with as little hassle, expense and food preparation time as possible. However, where there is a will there is a way. Today we want to share our simplest tips for all parents to ensure that their children and all members of the family, are as healthy, strong and happy as possible.

Wake Up With a Simple Cleanse

One of the best ways to start a day is with a glass of cleansing lemon water. Serving up lemon water to kids is not always easy however, but there are ways around it. Simply putting a slice or two of lemon into the communal fridge water bottle is all that’s required to make sure that lemon water makes its way around the breakfast table in the morning. To ensure it is as refreshing as possible and as appealing as possible to the children, pop the lemon slice into the water bottle the night before, fill up the bottle to make sure that there is enough cool, refreshing lemon water to make it around all the family before they head off for their day ahead.

Morning Juices

Another fantastic way to start the day off is with a morning juice. We know that it sounds next to impossible to get children and teenagers drinking vegetable juice rather than their favourite store-bought sugary fruit juices, however it is completely possible to get them on board. The best way to integrate fresh vegetable and fruit juices are to ease into them gently. There is no point presenting a pint of kale and broccoli and expecting your children to ever trust you serve them a tasty juice ever again. So start by balancing spinach with a few tasty fruits such as carrot, celery and apple, to ensure that the juices taste really yummy and the kids won’t be pouring them down the sink the moment your back is turned.

Once they have become accustomed to their new fresh morning juice you will be able to slowly drop in a few more vegetables and reduce the fruit content in order to reduce the amount of sugar. A good way to boost their energy in the morning is to add porridge oats, nuts and even yoghurt. There are a wide range of health powders which you can also add for extra energy and additional health benefits. Look at powders such as black maca which is high in protein and essential vitamins or chia seeds are a really good option for offering fibre and omega 3 fatty acids. These sorts of powders are a great addition to any freshly prepared fruit and vegetable smoothie or juice, so experiment with what works for you and what is most popular with your family.

Fighting Off Germs

We all know how easily children get sick. With so many cold and flu viruses buzzing around it is no wonder that we usually have at least one child with the sniffles. Something that can really help to reduce the amount of viruses and bugs that your children pick up is the basic hygiene in your home and the basic hygiene routines of your children when they get home. Our hands pick up endless amounts of germs from touching items when we are out and about and this is one of the most common ways that illnesses spread. Therefore getting your children to wash their hands the moment that they step in through the front door is a good way to prevent too much external bacteria from entering into your home.

This also applies to taking your shoes off at the door. Shoes carry in a wide range of germs, pesticides, toxins, dust mites, allergens and smoke into the home which can make a home rather unhygienic. One recent study at the University of Arizona revealed that our outdoor shoes carry an average of 421,000 different types of bacteria, so getting the children to kick them off at the front door is definitely advisable.

Eating Together

New scientific studies have revealed that children who eat around a table with their parents are much more likely to have a higher level of health than those that don’t. This comes down to the fact that children are less likely to eat fried foods or junk food if they sit down and eat a home-cooked dinner around the table. The children that eat home cooked food, instead of ‘TV dinners’, have a much higher level of nutrients, vitamins and a lower level of obesity. Which is a nice, little bit of extra motivation to keep churning out the home-cooked meals, even though sometimes you know they’d prefer to be eating chips and a burger in front of the TV.

Using Humidifiers

Dry air can create many different problems within a family home, so investing in a couple of good humidifiers is a really good idea. Because dry air can cause cracks in the mucous membrane a humidifier will go a long way in fighting against the cold and throat infections and various other illnesses that can result from dry air.

Family Stretching

Again this might sound like a bit of a stretch to those of you with teenage children, but it can’t stop you from trying. Flexibility and joint health is as important in adults as it is in children, so making sure all family members are spending time each day to stretch out is really important. With young children it is super simple to get them stretching along with you and the following is a good, simple stretching exercise for all the family. Standing with your feet hip width apart, lock your hands together behind your back and straighten your arms. Breath and roll your shoulder blades down and together. Then breathe out and bend forward at the waist. Drop your hand to the floor and breath in and out for a count of ten. You can repeat this a couple of times each money as a nice, easy wake up regime.

Throw Away Old Sunscreen

As sunscreen can be an expensive purchase in the summer, particularly for bigger families, there is no wonder that we put whatever is left in the draw to be used again for next year. However, recent studies have revealed that sunscreen over one year old may not offer you and your children the protect that a new sunscreen would. Therefore you need to be careful that you are not using old sunscreen whilst also ensuring that you are using a high SPF for the really hot days.

Instilling Good Values

It might seem like a strange addition to a list that is about family health, however hear us out. Getting your children involved in charity organisations or any sort of volunteering has been linked to a range of important health benefits. It is now said that volunteering has been linked to reduced levels of depression, increased life expectancy and it boosts life satisfaction. So encouraging your children to do something to give back to your local community is another way that you are actively boosting their health at the same time.

We all know that keeping our families fit and healthy comes in a wide range of shapes and sizes and every family is different. Find out what works for you and by integrating just a couple of the above tips you will be going a long way in improving the health and happiness of your family.

Post a Comment

0 Comments

Comments

The ZOO banner 3