Today, we have an awesome guest, Carolyn! She is here to talk to us about a tricky subject…health! I’m not a health nut, but I do trying to make healthy choices for my family. Carolyn is sharing some sobering facts with us today as well as some simple tips to improve our everyday health! I hope you enjoy!!!
Did you know that February was National Heart Month? According to information from Syracuse’s St. Joseph’s Cardiac Hospital, heart disease has a clean connection with Type 2 Diabetes, it really got me thinking that my family needs to do more for their health. One of my younger cousins was diagnosed with Type 2 not too long ago, and it was a complete shock to us all. It also made us think how important and fragile our health really is and I want to share some information with you about what we have done to try and both manage this disease, and prevent our other family members from developing it too.
Eating Healthy
Choose Healthier Alternatives
One of the easiest things my family and I have done is make healthy swaps that we can actually stick with. For instance, we now eat brown rice instead of the traditional white varieties. We now eat whole-grain spaghetti instead of white spaghetti, and use honey as a natural sweetener instead of sugar. Small swaps are easier to do and stick to over a period of time. Start small, and work your way towards an overall healthier lifestyle.
Have the Whole Family Eat Together
Eating healthy as a family is a lot easier to do than if you are the only one watching what you eat. Just picture the delicious foods and meals you can make that everyone will enjoy. Even more, make it a family affair to plan and make meals.
Find Healthy Snacks for the Day
There are so many healthy snacks you can make use of throughout the day. One great recipe to try would be cutting up apples and drizzling honey and dark chocolate over them for a delicious afternoon treat.
Keep a Food Journal
One of the best things I’ve found is keeping a journal when trying to watch what I am eating. Write down everything you’ve eaten, and you will start to see your habits – where you are doing well, and where yo are struggling.
Workout Together
You can workout together as a family by joining a class or buying a fitness DVD that you can play on the living room television. Try a variety of activities until you find one that works for your family. My cousins love to do Yoga, Pilates and Zumba.
Take Advantage of Spring Weather
Take advantage of the upcoming spring weather by going for walks or cycling in the outdoors. This will help keep you motivated when the weather outside begins to warm up, since you’ll already have a routine in place!
Don’t Over-Exercise
You don’t need to work out for hours a day just to be physically fit. The best thing is to work your exercises into your schedule so that you keep going back to them. Exercise daily and make it a priority – just don’t make it your only priority.
Get Creative at Home
Even something as simple as playing hide-and-seek or kickball is a great way to get some exercise. There are many fun games that you can play at home with your children to get them to be more active. Just be creative and incorporate exercise into activities they already like to do!
Carolyn is a 20-something year old with a passion for life, fitness and overall well-being. She is an avid cycler, golfer and has been known to bust some serious moves on the dance floor. Check out Carolyn’s blog at http://fullonfit.blogspot.com/!
I love these tips! My husband and I started running together in January and the accountability has been wonderful. We load our kids up in jogging strollers and go!
LOVED these tips, I have been really praying about more ways to get our family healthy, been trying to cut some things out in our life.
You are so right about all of these, and the one that really turned the corner for me was the food journal. I found a website that really helped: caloriecount.about.com. I worked great.