Wholesome living for the whole family isn’t hard to achieve, even if you’ve got little ones underfoot. You need to make healthy choices within your reach and stick with them over time.
If you’ve never really considered wholesome living before, this article will give you ten tips for getting started in your life and the life of your whole family.
1) Create with care
How you choose to live can affect your physical and mental health. Here are ten ideas for making healthy living easier for the whole family.
From encouraging exercise habits to cooking wholesome meals, the suggestions in this post can help everyone feel their best. Please take a few minutes to read through each and implement them today!
2) Drink water
Water is the best thing you can drink. No matter your age, water is the healthiest choice for hydration, and it’s also the easiest to get enough of because you’ll naturally consume it.
That said, your body can have trouble keeping up with all that needs when traveling, exercising heavily, or living in a warm climate.
Consider supplementing with healthy drinks like juice and tea if you feel dehydrated; for every glass of 100 percent fruit juice or tea (not iced coffee), aim for about one cup of water per hour of exercise.
If you’re serious about wholesome living for the whole family, start drinking more water to stay healthy and happy from within!
3) Don’t smoke
Smoking has significantly increased your risk of cancer, heart disease, and lung disease. It also costs you money. So the best tip for wholesome living for the whole family is to quit smoking immediately and try never to start again.
If you need help kicking the habit for good, try nicotine patches or gum—and consider talking with your doctor about anti-depressants if you’ve struggled before.
4) Eat less meat
Research has shown that the more animal products you eat, the higher your risk for certain chronic diseases such as diabetes and cancer. Too much meat is also harmful to the environment and is not sustainable, given how limited our resources are.
If you want to live a healthy lifestyle with wholesome living for the whole family, reduce or eliminate your consumption of animal products by including plant-based alternatives in your diet, like tofu, tempeh, seitan, and beans.
At first, it might take some time to adjust to eating less meat, but you’ll be healthier in the long run if you do.
5) Exercise your body
Exercise is the cornerstone for wholesome living for the whole family. Being physically active helps children grow more robust, sleep better, and concentrate longer.
Adults must also stay physically active; physical activity can reduce your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer. The more activity you do each week, the better you feel and the healthier you’ll be.
Aim to build up to 150 minutes of moderate physical activity (such as brisk walking) every week. Mixing up activities over time is also crucial because doing the same thing daily might stop you from enjoying exercise and make it seem like more effort than it’s worth.
Find out about local facilities for activities such as swimming or cycling through your local council’s website or community sports centers in your area.
6) Get enough sleep
We all know we should get more sleep, but it cannot be easy to convince the whole family that bedtime is a priority.
According to the CDC, adults should be getting seven hours of sleep per night and children need at least nine—but the average American isn’t getting much more than six and a half hours on weeknights (much less on weekends) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
We all know we need better rest for healthier living, so make an effort to get everyone on board with family bedtime rules or find ways for you and your spouse/partner to carve out some time together without kids in tow.
This way, everyone gets time together—and everyone gets time with Mom and Dad!
7) Smile more
When you smile, your brain releases positive chemicals that make you feel happier and healthier. In addition to making other people feel good, it’s also an easy way to boost your mood. When you feel happy, don’t be afraid to show it!
Use your sense of humor, play with the kids (or pets), and do something fun that brings out the kid in you. Laughing is incredibly healthy for both body and mind. And remember – practice makes perfect! So smile as often as possible to keep yourself feeling upbeat!
8) Sleep right
Our bodies need quality sleep to perform their best, yet the average adult sleeps fewer than 7 hours per night.
Sleep deprivation is linked to obesity and severe health issues. Make sure you get enough quality sleep and if you aren’t sleeping well at night, try to eliminate distractions like TV or social media before bedtime.
If that doesn’t help, talk with your doctor about how to fix the problem. (You’ll be glad you did.) Other tips for wholesome living for the whole family include: making time for physical activity, eating whole foods; drinking plenty of water; avoiding excess sugar and salt; limiting alcohol consumption; manage stress through meditation or yoga.
9) Listen to your body
Eating junk or overeating is easy when you’re not paying attention. It’s common to get so wrapped up in your issues and problems that you forget to take care of yourself.
A simple way to do that? Listen to your body. If you’ve overeaten, feel unbalanced, or need a break for whatever reason, listen and honor those signals. Your mind is excellent at making excuses for ignoring the things it doesn’t want to hear.
So use the voices in your head sparingly—and listen when they speak up! Here are some other ways to help you have a wholesome living for the whole family can work.
Breathe:
We all know how important breathing is, right? But how often do we focus on our breath? The next time you feel stressed out or frustrated (or both), try taking five deep breaths. Count them off slowly in your head as you inhale and exhale.
You might be surprised by how quickly your mood shifts. And even more surprising might be just how many times a day you can bring awareness to what’s happening right now with nothing more than five minutes of focused breathing.
Eat fruits and vegetables:
At least half of every meal should come from produce. Studies show eating produce can help lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, reduce your risk of cancer, help prevent heart disease and improve your overall health.
One study found that people who ate two servings of fruits or vegetables daily were about 25 percent less likely to die from any cause over 12 years than those who ate less than one serving daily.
Fruits and veggies are loaded with vitamins that keep everything from skin cells healthy to brain functioning and firing smoothly.
10) Practice gratitude daily.
A positive mind is one of the most important aspects of living wholeheartedly. So, consider practicing gratitude daily.
In her TED Talk on the unexpected gifts of imperfection, Dr. Brene Brown states that gratitude is the antidote to shame and provides tips for being thankful in everyday situations. Also, gratitude can have physiological benefits; studies show it can increase energy, decrease stress levels and improve mental clarity and focus.
That’s not all, though—it can also help you sleep better and keep your immune system healthy!
For more interesting articles, visit Empire Pedia.
