The news is full of information about what we should and should not be eating and doing to keep ourselves healthy. In fact, there’s so much contradictory information available it can make your head swim; but the good news is, common sense always prevails. Keeping you and your family healthy doesn’t require a lot of work. It only takes some common sense and a little bit of intuition.
Stay Active
The human body was created with movement in mind, otherwise we may have been rooted to the ground! Keeping active is good for you at any age. Participating in various activities at the different stages of life enhances well-being and helps with the development of certain tissues in the body. For example, it’s been shown that weight bearing exercises are good for your bones.
The American Heart Association recommends that two-year-olds and above participate in a minimum of 60 minutes of moderately intense physical activities. Of course these activities need to be age appropriate. Don’t worry if you can’t get in an hour at a time. Breaking it up into doable chunks of 30 minutes or even 15 minutes is good. So what happens?
Keeping those little bodies moving helps build strong bones and muscles. It also helps with improved emotional health. You’ve probably heard about endorphins, the “feel good” brain chemical. Endorphins are released when you exercise, and these chemicals can cause you to feel happier.
Grandma and Grandpa are more likely to hold on to their memories if they go dancing regularly. Of all the exercises, for some reason dancing seems to have the most positive effect on keeping the symptoms of dementia at bay.
Getting the family together for walks, runs, or dance parties provides a wealth of health benefits. Your hearts benefit from aerobic exercise, you’re building strong bones and muscles, and don’t forget about the endorphins – the happy brain chemical. And there’s the added bonus of creating special memories of spending time together having fun as a family.
Think of Eating Healthy As a Lifestyle
People think of a change in eating habits as a “diet;” low carb, high fat, low fat, high carb, paleo, keto, etc. Instead of thinking in terms of diet, think about a lifestyle of eating healthy foods and making healthier choices. This would mean cutting out or at least cutting down on refined and processed foods including white flour, and of course sugar.
In the 1700s sugar was a hot commodity. In a year the average person consumed about 7.5 pounds. When you look at a canister full of sugar that amount seems like a lot. Today’s average person, however, eats about 150 pounds of sugar a year. Now that’s a lot of sugar! In fact, within a week the average person consumes almost as much as the yearly intake of a person in the 1700s.
Research has shown the adverse effects of sugar and processed foods on kids’ development. Whole foods and unprocessed foods have the effect of eliminating a wide variety of maladies that plague humankind today – particularly inflammatory issues. Eating organic and as close to the natural state as possible, such as raw vegetables, will enhance the natural health effects of the foods you eat.
Think your kids won’t get used to the idea of eating veggies and fruit over chips and dip? Hang in there; they’ll come around. Eating healthy foods not only makes you feel better, you look better, too. Your teens will appreciate eating raw veggies when they look in the mirror and see clearer skin. Sweeten the deal by trying out smoothie recipes. Add dark berries to give your kids a healthy, sugar-free boost.
Water Is a Life Force
Every living thing on the planet needs water to survive. We humans drink water, but are we drinking enough? Kids and the elderly can get dehydrated quickly, particularly in hot weather. Dehydration can cause fatigue, drowsiness, and irritability in kids. Adults also feel tired or sleepy and they can have dizziness or headaches; additionally the elderly may experience confusion, difficulty in walking and low blood pressure.
Keep water on hand, especially when participating in physical activities. Drinking plenty of water also flushes toxins out of the body and helps regulate important bodily functions.
Save money by getting a water filter and reusing your bottled water containers. Fill the empties with water and keep a stash on hand in the fridge. Fill about two thirds full and put in the freezer. When you’re on the go you can add fresh water to fill the bottle.
Keeping your family healthy boils down to staying active, eating healthy foods and drinking plenty of water. When you take good care of your body, it takes good care of you.
About Joanne Aubuchon
Joanne is a resident writer for SERVIZ, an on-demand home services company offering everything from Plumbing repairs to Carpet Cleaning across the US. Joanne is a writer by day and reader by night. Joanne loves writing about saving money, raising kids and improving the quality of our lives. When she is not writing, you can find her trying out new salad recipes, playing ball with her kids, or cheering in the stands at her son’s soccer games.
