By Director of Product Development and Fit3 Trainer Tina Van Horn
Balancing Act of Family Health
There is a continuous balancing act to make sure that everyone’s physical needs are met and that their bodies are healthy, without losing sight of their social, emotional, and spiritual health! Sheesh! No wonder parents are tired! Meeting all those needs is genuinely overwhelming some days.
Spending Time Together
Family wellness is so much more than putting nutritious meals on the table and setting limits on screen time. It is also about family habits, lifestyles, and relationships! Our hectic lifestyles don’t exactly foster family wellness and certainly interfere with quality family time, which has been shown to improve behaviour and academic performance, build self-esteem, encourage communication skills, and reinforce healthy habits. Seems obvious how important family time is, but several recent studies have suggested that the average family spends only about 30-40 minutes each day truly engaged with each other. When I really think about it, that statistic is probably very representative of our family.
Making Good Health a Family Value
If you are anything like me, you might be feeling a bit of “mum guilt” and anxiety when you think about all of the things we should be doing as a family. Honestly, my head is spinning a little bit just trying to figure out how to start. Just like any other lifestyle change, the trick is to start slow. If you were starting a new fitness routine, I would suggest starting with 10 minutes, so why not apply that same strategy to family wellness? I’m pretty sure we can all carve out an extra 10 minutes of family time each day to build connections, but if your kids aren’t into just sitting around for 10 minutes of conversation, here are a few activities that will get everybody involved:
- Plan and prepare simple meals or snacks together – scrambled eggs, grilled cheese, or bake.
- Look through family photo albums together or watch family videos
- Volunteer or do a service project together – walk dogs at the animal shelter, help a neighbour with their garden
- Test a new Reliv shake recipe together or make up your own – it’s ok to add a few chocolate chips or some sprinkles!
- Plant and grow something together – flowers, vegetables, herbs
- Make up “conversation cards” with fun, open-ended questions that everybody can answer – e.g., if you were an animal, what would you be and why? If you could travel the world, where would you go?
- Move together – walk, jump, play tag, hide and seek, dance, or play follow-the-leader
- Plan a scavenger hunt or play “I spy” around your home or neighbourhood
- Read an article together, taking turns reading out loud and then discuss
- Play a board game or active video game
- Build a house of cards or line up dominoes
- Work on a jigsaw puzzle together while taking turns picking the music you listen to
- Send out birthday cards or write letters to family
The possibilities for finding fun and creative ways to spend time together are endless. In addition to making memories that will last a lifetime, you’re also showing your love for your family. Another way you can show your family you love them is to make sure they’re getting the best of nutrition and immune support with Reliv nutrition! Whether you’re blending up a shake for your kids, or staying hydrated while playing outdoors, feeding your family with optimal nutrition is a great way to say,
“I love you!”