It is time to reflect on the year past and what lies ahead. For me going into the New Year means a clean slate – a way to improve and perhaps fine-tune some of my better habits. One thing that I learned this year is that eating, sleeping and activity habits are the cornerstones for wellness for me. Sadly, it is not always so easy to make healthy choices.
Many parents take shortcuts with food, simply because it saves time – do you have the energy to prepare a wholesome meal for your family every night? Personally, I do my best but some nights I simply do not have the mental or physical capacity to rustle up food – let alone healthy food!
With the latest research on processed foods showing pretty scary evidence of carcinogenic properties in staples such as processed meats, I know that providing healthy choices is no longer optional.
Luckily Nutrifit offers a fantastic service – they deliver wholesome food to your door as many days as you need it – and they will tailor-make the foods, so you have healthy choices for the whole family. Be it gluten-free, paleo or high-energy food you need, they have a meal plan that will work for you. Best of all, they will work with you to make sure your family get the nutrients you need.
They offer breakfast, lunch and dinner options so you can rest assured that everyone starts the day the right way. For children show don’t tell, is key – that is why my resolution is to not only provide a healthy breakfast for them (read no more sugary cereals), but I will also eat it with them. Breakfast has never been one of my strong points, so I do hope that I can stick to this one. It will certainly be way easier if it was delivered the previous evening and I could just quickly serve it.
Moving on to sleeping habits – research continues to show that a good night’s rest does one the world. Not only will it help alleviate depression and anxiety, but also helps you lose weight. It turns out your mother was right about this one – a good night’s sleep is essential.
When you read tips on how to improve your bedtime habits, it seems so easy – because it is. Just banning electronics from your bedroom will ensure you get to sleep much faster and have a more restful night. No more falling asleep in front of the TV – or opting for a movie because you are far too tired to manage a bed-time story.
Living a more active life will certainly boost your wellness levels. As little of 30 minutes of daily walking will benefit your heart health. Perhaps walking the kids to and from school is an option? Alternatively getting out into nature on weekends, will certainly help you all cope better with the pressures of our modern lives. Don’t forget that doing your own housework also count as activity as does taking the dog for a walk or parking farther away at the shopping mall, so you have to walk to the grocery store.
See, I am full of ideas on how to improve my family’s health. Now, I must just make it a habit for all of us. Luckily, help is a click of a button away with search engines, these days. According to Psychology Today, kicking old habits and forming new ones are equally challenging. Although they do say that all it takes is repetition. In fact, Gretchen Rubin provides some very useful tips to ensure that you stick to your new life goals. The one that stands out for me is, to simply get back on the horse again, if you’ve fallen off – in other words when you do not take the dog for a walk, or miss a healthy meal – don’t fret. Start again tomorrow and the day after that until your new habits are just part of everyday life.
Here’s to a happy, healthy New Year!
John Miller is a home improvement and design expert who loves sharing what he has learned throughout his career on various online media and websites.
Some great tips for a healthier 2016.