HELP!! My Family Is Not Interested In Healthy Living

In recent years, the cases of diseases associated with obesity has become increasingly found in children and teenagers. More than ever, children are eating more sugar, more refined foods and beginning to struggle with overweight and all it’s associated symptoms. This definitely isn’t good news and is a trend that should be nipped in the bud.

Most men as well are suffering from a lot heart related and other health related issues. There’s so much stress all around and more and more middle aged men slump at work.

Therefore, adopting healthy habits as a family, has never been more essential than it is now.

The question becomes, as a wife/mom who is keen on living the healthy lifestyle, how do I get my kids, spouse and entire family involved in it? To answer this, it’s important to show more than tell.

1) Be a good example; it won’t be easy to convince your family to work out when you’re skipping your workouts and not eating healthy. So the first step is to make a decision to stick to your own workout and meeting your goals. Naturally, as your hubby and kids see you make conscious efforts and see the results as well, they’ll be more interested in joining you eat and live well.

2) Make it a fun challenge; well let’s just be real shall we? Every wife/mom knows that you need to bribe your spouse and kids to do some things. So how about make it a fun challenge and attach a treat if they win? You could promise them ice cream and fries if they’re able to eat their vegetables and workout at least three times a week. Hubby as well can be rewarded with his favorite food for completing his weekly challenge.

3) Start with small changes; doing too much at a time usually leads to a burn out and isn’t sustainable, as a result, focus on doing little at a time. Start by changing the time your family eats, move dinner gradually from late at night to 6 or 7 pm. Start by adding an apple or fruit platter to hubby’s lunch and the kids school lunch while reducing the sugar filled and over processed snacks.

4) Alternatives are a must; if your family is used to eating their meals with juice, it won’t be easy to take it away from them and have them eat meals without it. A good alternative is to make zobo, homemade lemonade/fruit juice, healthy Chapman (without the alcohol because of the kids) and smoothies that they’ll enjoy. Gradually, they’ll acquire the taste for it and be used to natural fruit juice instead of processed ones.

5) Make it fun; yes yes, workouts should actually be fun, so feel free to mix it up. Your family could run, ride bicycles, attend a Zumba dance class or go for swimming. Just be sure to make sure it’s a variety of exercises that are fun and include the whole family.

6) Be patient; Rome wasn’t built in a day and your family won’t automatically become members of the #fitfam community in one day. So don’t worry if they don’t start eating healthy immediately or refuse to workout. Just stay patient and persistent, it’s all about building a lifestyle and that definitely takes time.

If it’s taking too long, be encouraged by the fact that you’re affecting your family positively and building beautiful memories as well.

I’ll love to read your comments below.

Did this help and which of these steps will you take towards getting your family to join the healthy train?

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