Do you know what I find the most difficult about building health habits is? Having kids! As a widowed mom, simplicity is key. When I have challenges like these little crotch goblins demanding time and energy, it’s hard to stay focused on my health goals. So here are a few tricks I found to get everyone involved and to conserve time and energy in my health journey.
- Pick family activities that get you active together
One of the reasons I like this is it gets other family members involved in activities they may not have otherwise chosen. My oldest son likes to play pickleball. For my toddler, activities like songs, hide and seek and playing catch seem to fit the bill. You can let each child choose one activity a week/month, and enjoy each other’s company.
- Engage in a family fitness challenge
When everyone is working toward a goal in competition, there seems to be better success in the follow through. Implementing a family fitness challenge promotes motivation and encourages everyone to stick with it. Some challenges you could try: steps, technology-free time, challenges on exer-games (my kids love Just Dance), or even a bedtime challenge (my favorite 😉 )
- Prepare and eat meals together at least 3 times a week.
This is honestly one of my biggest challenges. I’m gone 12-13 hours per day, and I often don’t get home until after “dinner time.” Having family help with meal preparation cuts down on the stress of trying to get something on the table. I also try to prep crockpot meals that I can just throw in before heading off to work. This way, dinner is ready as soon as I walk in the door and I save a lot of time. For even easier prep, What a Crock offers meal delivery services specifically designed for the crockpot. You just put the chef-prepared meal into the crockpot, and dinner’s practically done. You’ll have dinner ready and waiting for you when you get back home from your busy day.
- Take technology breaks
I don’t know about you, but technology can be the bane of my existence. It feels like a constant fight to get my kids to get off the tv or turn off the video games. Working a technology break into the week helps alleviate some of the contention that the “technology wars” induce, and provides the opportunity to get outdoors and get more active. One activity we’ve enjoyed in the past to get us outdoors and away from technology is geocaching. My kids love finding the little hidden treasures and get a great sense of accomplishment when they are able to find the caches on their own.
Trying to accomplish health goals while also raising a family can be quite a difficult feat. But getting everyone involved in ways they each enjoy helps make the process much easier, and also helps promote a healthier mindset to carry throughout their lives.
How do you like to incorporate family activities into your health goals?
This post contains affiliate links, which provide a small commission on purchases made through the link posted at no extra cost to you. This helps keep the site running and the crotch goblins fed. Thank you for your support!
