7 Ways to Help the Whole Family Lead a Healthier Lifestyle ...

One of the ways to help the whole family lead a healthier lifestyle is to shop together. Make a competition out of who can find the healthiest foods, whilst avoiding the junk food aisles of course. Be a little more label wise and look at the sugar, salt and fat content on your foods. You're looking for foods which have 3g of fat or less per 100g and 1.5g of saturated fat. Look for 5g or less of total sugars per 100g. Also, remember that low-fat sometimes means high sugar, which can play havoc with your sugar levels and lead to further snacking. Shopping together and being more label savvy will help you all make healthier choices in the long run.

How about finding healthy eating tips and recipes and sharing them with each other. Again, this can be made into a competition. Reinforce the fact that this isn't necessarily about losing weight or looking slim but is about making healthier choices. It's not just about the way you look. It's about the way you feel and eating right will make you feel stronger and give you more energy. Making health a priority rather than weight loss, will make it easier.

There are some simple things you can do to help with portion control. The mind can be easily tricked with these little hints and tips. How about using smaller plates and filling them before taking them to the table as opposed to allowing people to dish up themselves at the table. The twenty minute rule also applies after eating. It takes 20 minutes for your body to tell your brain that you're full, so give your brain that time to find out whether it needs another portion. You can also buy plates which can help with portion control by telling you how much of each food group the plate should consist of. Another trick is the colour of your plate. Research has shown that the colour of your plate can help determine how much you eat. Make sure there is a contrast between the colour of your plate and the food you eat. And the colour of your plate that will make you eat less is blue.

After a hard day at work, I love kicking back and watching an episode or two of Storage Hunters as much as the next person but there is more to life than TV. How about going for a walk together after dinner? This will help with digestion and getting out into the great outdoors together, even just for half an hour a day, can do wonders for both body and mind. How about a game of Twister? This will burn a few calories and you'll have a lot of fun at the same time!

Think about your next holiday. It doesn't have to be all sun, sea and snacking. How about a holiday where you can combine your relaxation time with a few activities like an adventure holiday. There are so many holidays where you can do activities which are fun such as skiing, hiking or water sports. Any are a great alternative to a lounge-around-the-pool vacation.

Cooking is fun so have fun cooking together. Whether it be chopping the vegetables or preparing sides, making it a group effort will help educate everyone about food and cooking, which in the long term will help the whole family make healthier choices.

How about joining a health club together. Exercising together can be a great family bonding exercise and most health clubs offer family or group rates which means your wallet won't suffer too much. There are obviously exercises you can all do together which don't necessarily involve committing to a gym membership. How about investing in some bikes and making cycling your family exercise.

These are just a few ways to help the family be healthier this year. What would you recommend if you're looking to help the whole family lead a healthier lifestyle?

Sources: abc2news.com