Looking after your family’s health is essential! Today, many kids are overweight. A healthy, active lifestyle is the key to help a maintain weight. More importantly it helps to prevent health issues, such as diabetes! There are many ways that you can care for your family and to start a healthy routine! We know raising a family isn’t an easy task, we have put together some easy ways in which you can take care of your family!
Smart snack strategy
Snacking! It is just too easy for us just to grab a not so healthy snack such as biscuits or muffin! Processed snacks like chocolate, cakes and chips are often very high in sugar, fat and salt they all contribute to our daily kilojoule intake. You might not know just a handful of chips can provide similar kilojoules as a small meal! Here are some healthy snack food options you can consider including vegetables, fruit, wholegrain food and nuts! These are what we called the smart snacks! You can check out a more complete list of smart snacks for your family here!
Stay active
There are many benefit to keep your kids active, it helps to improve their concentration, better their self confidence and strengthen their muscles. We are spending more time sitting in front of the television and screens. There are researches that suggest sitting less can help to reduce the risk of young people and kids developing health problems when they grow older. There are a few ways you can try such as limiting the screen time, cycle to school or work or enjoy a walk in your local park!
Healthy meals
As we talk briefly earlier, eating nutritious food is important, at every age! As we get older, we need to eat healthy to avoid issues like heart disease while giving us enough energy throughout the day! One thing you should really try is to add more vegetables to your meals because they are rich in vitamins, minerals as well as fibre. Don’t just eat one type of vegetable, try to have at least one green and one colourful vegetables such as capsicums! If you like eating rice, like me, you should check out the wholegrain options as they will give you extra fibre and nutrients!
Look after your gut
Do you know our digestive system has a link to how our immune system performs. This is very important to make it a part of your daily health regime and incorporate the “good bacteria” probiotic daily. Foods like kombucha and yogurt are great source of probiotic! These healthy bacteria can help to maintain the bacterial balance within our digestive system which in turn keeps our immune system healthy! If you are not sure how you can enhance your immune system naturally, you can always have a chat with your local naturopath. The knowledge held by these practitioners is broad, up to date and easily applied to everyday life with their guidance!
More sleep
Are you getting enough sleep? Think about the day that you don’t get enough sleep and what does that make you feel? It is crucial to get proper sleep everyday so that our body and brain can function properly! When we are lack of sleep, we normally find it hard to focus, having less energy levels and most likely, feel more stressed. If you are not sure how many hours of sleep you should get at your age, you can check out the information below.
| Age | Recommended amount of sleep |
| Newborns | 16-18 hours a day |
| Preschool-aged children | 11-12 hours a day |
| School-aged children | At least 10 hours a day |
| Teens | 9-10 hours a day |
| Adults (including the elderly) | 7-8 hours a day |
One of the most effective ways to get more sleep is to keep your stress at bay and stay calm! Spend time with your friends and family, listen to music, meditation and doing yoga are some great ways to achieve that!