One of the most popular New Years Resolutions is to get healthy. It’s hard when it’s just you, add in taking care of the kids and it’s even harder!
Just small changes can and do make an impact and it’s not hard to include the kids. Make it fun family time, be silly time and make memories! Along the way you’re laying the ground work for the kids to carry healthy choices with them throughout their lives.
Getting kids to eat healthy is a daily challenge and let’s face it, who the heck has time to make broccoli look fun after you’ve worked all day? Not us, despite the amazing things we find on Pinterest… A good place to start teaching our kids young to eat healthy is to limit the processed foods and sugars. If you do that, not only will it help them be healthier kids, you can hopefully help them develop good habits they will carry all their lives. You’ll feel better too!
Take a walk. You don’t have to power walk with your little ones. Start small and go around the block or the parking lot. Put your phone in your pocket and let this be time that you can focus on just the kids. Listen to them, let them know you want to know what they are thinking about these days. You’re doing two things at one time. Exercising and focusing on them instead of being busy with dinner, laundry and the million other things we as parents have to worry about. It doesn’t have to be every day. Just a couple times a week is a good place to start.
While not as conducive to chatting as walking, bike rides as a family can be fun. Start with small short rides and work up to a bit of distance. If you would like to try out a few bikes first, then a quick browse on the Peddling Pelican Cruiser website and that of other bike rental firms could prove helpful. Remember, there is no need to push the little ones too hard. You want this to be fun! If you can work in a fun destination it will help keep the kids interested.
Head out to the back yard and play with them. No backyard? No worries, we have live in an area that has some wonderful parks and with so many to chose from, we can head to a water park or one with a playground or my personal favorite, one that includes the Gulf!
Rainy day? No worries, turn off the electronics and TV. Turn on the music and have a dance party! Share some of your favorite music with the kids and let them laugh at your funny moves. This is my favorite one of them all. The giggles as they laugh at my dance moves are the best!
Another way to do two things at once and keep the kids entertained is yard work! Yep, yard work. Obviously, we don’t mean the chores involving any advance equipment or solutions – leave that to people who specialize in lawn care, like the team at Trugreen California. Kids can absolutely help pull weeds, etc. and it will give you a chance to chat about things with them. It can also be a great teaching opportunity. Of course, you would never let your kids use dangerous gardening tools, like this mini excavator brush cutter for sale, but you can tell them why you use it and the importance of maintaining a yard. If you have the time and resources you can even have a garden and designate a row for something they want to grow. While maybe not burning an amazing amount of calories, being in the fresh air and sunshine is always a plus. No room for a garden? Do what I did…I had plants in pots sitting on the porch and let my daughter take care of two of them. That was fun and the excitement when one of hers bloomed was a wonderful thing to see.
