Parents and children find themselves navigating new routines at home. Many find it challenging to balance work and family life as they overlap at home, leading to overall health deterioration.
Busy and demanding careers like being a doctor, teacher, or licensed estate agent who is always out making client calls and site trips often mean that the health aspect of one’s life takes a back seat. However, if there’s anything a pandemic has taught people, it’s that health and wellness should always be the top priority — no matter what.
So, if you’re looking to ensure your family stays healthy and happy, you need to prioritize your family’s health and wellness.
With that in mind, here are tips to help take care of your family’s health and wellness.
Practice Preventative Medicine
Following preventative practices such as regularly washing your hands is crucial nowadays. It minimizes the spread of germs and prevents illness. That’s why it’s best to teach your family to practice and stick to preventive guidelines, like coughing or sneezing into your sleeves, disinfecting frequently touched surfaces in your home, and be updated on regular screenings and immunizations. So the next time you have a barber going to your home for a much-needed haircut—you can minimize your risk of getting infected or infecting others.
Stay Active Together
Both adults and kids must stay active throughout the day, especially when most spend sedentary time working from home or learning online. Regularly moving is excellent for one’s physical health, and it can help fight stress and anxiety that may arise as your family stays at home.
Children should move at least an hour every day in activities, increasing their heart rate. While your family is restricted in the places you can go to work out and exercise, there are several activities you and your family can do at home. These include taking up virtual fitness classes or doing a family dance competition in the living room.
Follow A Well-Balanced Diet
Due to restrictions, you may not be taking as many trips to the supermarket while you’re at home, making it challenging to make healthy food choices. However, for everyone’s health, you must stick to a well-balanced diet. That’s why it’s wise to do the best you can. If you have room in your freeze, stock up on frozen fruits and vegetables. They offer the same nutritional value as their fresh counterparts—but will last longer.
It can be tempting to eat more while working at home, but try to maintain a ‘normal’ eating schedule by eating three balanced meals every day. Although you can still, of course, succumb to your cravings once in a while, it’s best to keep them to a minimum. For your kids, don’t hesitate to give them healthy snacks throughout the day.
Stay Hydrated
Drinking water is crucial for your body to function properly, as it has a significant impact on your energy levels, brain functions, and overall health. With everything that’s going on, remember to drink enough water. There are several ways you can remind yourself and your kids to stay hydrated. These include making flavored water by infusing fruit pieces or adding more fruits and vegetables into your diet.
Build Community
In today’s digital world, it can be challenging to focus on your family due to constant technology distractions. Plus, extended families are geographically dispersed, making it difficult to have a ‘community’ around to help. The best way to stay connected with loved ones is by using technology to host virtual family gatherings with extended family.
Follow a Bedtime Routine
Getting enough sleep is vital for both adults and kids, allowing you to concentrate throughout the day. If you notice you and your children are struggling, try to sleep earlier than you already are. Having a regular and set bedtime routine can help you fall asleep quicker since your body will know what’s coming.
Limit Screen Time
You and your family need to know what’s going in the world. However, having too much time on social media and watching TV can alleviate stress and anxiety. Although your children may need to use technology more than usual due to school shifting online, you need to limit their screen time. You can do this by incorporating other activities in small blocks of time in between their screen time.
Don’t Forget About Mental Health
Many individuals feel more anxious than usual with feelings of uncertainty and change in today’s modern world. Keeping your thoughts and feelings to yourself may lead to your mental health deteriorating. That’s why it’s best to encourage your children and other family members to share how they feel and acknowledge that what they’re feeling is valid—and normal.
Help your family build healthy habits for the future by following the tips mentioned, allowing you and your family members to enjoy life to the fullest and stay fit.
