Happy and Healthy Family Habits

Happy and Healthy Family HabitsIf you ask most parents what they want for their families, it is happiness and health.  For some this comes more naturally than others, but every family can foster happy and healthy family habits through their outlook, values and lifestyle choices.  Happiness and health don’t always cost a lot of money but they do take effort.

Check out these happy and healthy family habits to implement in your home:

Bonding:  Human beings crave feeling connected; it is a natural, basic need.  Babies long for this sense of connection from the moment they are born through touch, love and support.  As children grow, a strong familial relationship continues to be a part of their health and happiness.  More than wealth and possessions, spending time together as a family and making memories breeds happy families.

Read, Sing, Play and Learn Together:  Part of bonding is stimulating your children in the best ways.  Without the need for elaborate toys and exotic destinations, you can create an engaging environment of learning, laughing and imaginary play in your home.  Let loose in the moment, embrace your child’s interests and involve them in your own to foster a love of fun family time.

Make Healthy Habits Fun:  Eating nutritiously and exercising seem like tedious chores to adults, but you can reframe them into fun, healthy family habits for the sake of your kids.  Come up with fun ways to prepare and serve healthy meals, including growing your own garden, visiting farms and farmer’s markets, and allowing your kids to participate in baking and cooking projects.  Have a blast with your physical activities by offering lots of outdoor play time, engaging in sports and having impulsive moments of movement.

Seek Balance:  There is a lot to accomplish in life every day but finding balance as you juggle everything is essential.  Make it a practice not to over-schedule your kids and yourself so you have time to embrace the spontaneous joys of life.  Kids and adults alike need “down time” to relax and rejuvenate.  You may find you have more fun and experience more by doing less.

Give Thanks:  Thankfulness is a value we all want to instill in our children, but did you know it also makes all of us more grateful and ultimately happier?  Yes, giving thanks for whatever joys you have in your life is actually a reward to yourself.  People who are thankful have less depression and more life fulfillment.  Similarly, finding satisfaction in the results of your own choices and circumstances is also crucial for happy, healthy families.

Spread out Happiness:  Always having everything you want does not actually make you happier.  Studies show that spreading out happiness – whether it is receiving a gift or having a fun experience – is more productive for families.  As you can imagine, a child can easily be spoiled and feel entitled when he gets everything he wants all the time.  That’s not a life lesson most parents want to instill.  Rather, help your children earn and appreciate joys by spacing them out and savoring them whenever they occur.

We hope these happy and healthy family habits enrich your family’s life every day!

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