My husband and I were recently discussing the fact that weโve both pushed our health to the back burner for far too long, and weโre really starting to feel the effects.
โBut getting to the gym regularly just feels impossible right now,โ I sighed, thinking of the effort it would take to figure out what to do with both the 3-year-old and the infant every time I wanted to break a sweat. โAnd most nights we have all of 20 minutes to try to make a nutritious dinner,โ he added.
But we agreed that complaining about the problem wasnโt going to solve it, so instead we made a list.
Not a list of our grand, someday health goals (like run another half marathon or expose our kids to every type of vegetable on the planet), but rather of itty bitty changes that could help all of us feel a whole lot better. Then we committed to tackling each item on the list one by oneโassuming that as we did, weโd slowly start to build up our healthy habits, which cumulatively would make a big impact.
Itโs a logical plan, yes, and also one thatโs backed by research.
A 2012 study from the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation found that small changes really can make a big impact on your health.
โEvery increment towards a healthier lifestyle makes an improvement,โ explained the studyโs lead researcher. โYou donโt have to be totally perfect starting right this very second.โ
Want to make your own list of small (read: totally doable) changes that will make you and your family healthier? Here are 10 ideas to get you started.
10 Tiny Changes That Make a Big Impact on Your Familyโs Well-Being
1. Make swaps that are barely noticeable.
Forget trying to make an entire diet overhaul (which rarely sticks, anyway). Instead, focus on little swaps that your palate wonโt even perceive: substitute olive oil for butter, plain Greek yogurt for sour cream, fresh fruit for your afternoon chocolate bar, baked sweet potato fries over French fries, etc.
2. Go all-natural where it counts.
While some families are able to eat all-natural all the time, most of us need to pick and chooseโdue to budget limitations, time constraints or just personal preferences. This makes a difference with certain types of products more than others, so itโs worth narrowing down which items absolutely must be all-natural for your family.
Our list includes the โdirty dozenโ fruits and veggies, cowโs milk for our children, and deli meats. In my house we all enjoy a good turkey & cheese sandwich, so we love that the HORMELยฎ NATURAL CHOICEยฎ brand offers lunch meat options that are 100% naturalโall at a price thatโs actually affordable for most families.
3. Keep everyone hydrated.
Drinking enough water is one of the simplest and most basic ways to be healthier. So many ailmentsโranging from headaches to constipation to muscle soreness and moreโcan be solved or at least improved by drinking enough water. And yet many of us donโt do it.
Kids are especially at risk: A 2015 study found that over half of all American children experience inadequate hydration. So start carting that water bottle along everywhere you go and make sure your children arenโt getting dehydrated either.
4. Eat out of true physical hunger.
We tend to eat for all kinds of reasons that have nothing to do with being hungry. We eat because itโs breakfast time. We eat because thereโs a holiday party. We eat because weโre really stressed out. We eat because weโre tired but taking a nap isnโt an option.
For some of us, we eat by the clock or for emotional reasons so often that weโve lost touch with our actual hunger cues. Returning to those cuesโand teaching our children how to stay in touch with them as wellโis a basic change that can lead to lifelong health.
5. Choose better-for-you convenience foods.
I get it: Youโre strapped for both time and energy, so fixing a gourmet lunch every day or cutting up fresh veggies for dinner every night probably isnโt going to happen. Realistically, most of us need to rely on some convenience foods to feed our families.
One tiny change you can make is just to be a bit more picky about which convenience foods you buy and which you skip. Pre-cut fruits and veggies? Go for it. Preservative-laden lunch entrees? Think twice.
Here is where NATURAL CHOICEยฎ products come to the rescue again: their deli meats have no added preservatives! They donโt use artificial ingredients or added preservatives; instead, they use an all-natural process called HPP, where the products are packaged, sealed, and pasteurized by being placed under high-pressure water exertion. Thatโs a lot of fancy language that basically just means you can rest easy that the super-convenient sandwiches you make for your familyโs lunches are packed with flavorโnot added preservatives.
6. Take regular sitting breaks.
The fact that weโre a culture of sitters isnโt news. Most of us spend a large portion of our day sitting and our kids are starting to do the same. When sitting is simply unavoidableโsay, at your jobโtry setting an alarm to remind you to get up and walk around for a few minutes every hour. For your kids, try creating a โGet Up and Move!โ jar, filled with simple ideas for getting everyone off the couch for a few minutes.
My 3-year-old loves reaching in and picking out a popsicle stick featuring an easy suggestion for physical activity, like play a game of Simon Says, see how high and far you can jump, and do the chicken dance.
7. Eat dinner together.
A simple commitment to gathering together around the dinner table can make a huge impact on the health of kids and grown-ups alike. According to the Family Dinner Project out of Harvard University, sharing a family meal is good for the health of all family members.
Regular family meals lower the rates of obesity and eating disorders in children and teens. And letโs not forget the host of emotional and social benefits that come from eating dinner together, like better communication, enhanced vocabulary in children, and stronger feelings of resilience and self-confidence.
8. Zero in on ingredients.
Do you have time to pour over nutrition labels while youโre shopping in the grocery store with your children in tow? I know I donโt!
So letโs make it simple: If youโre only going to look at one thing on the back of a food package, make it the ingredient list. If itโs a pretty simple list, filled almost entirely with words you recognize and can pronounce, then thatโs the green light to feed it to your family. But if itโs a list a mile long, made up of lots of chemical-sounding words that youโre not even sure are really food, back on the shelf it goes.
This is another major perk of choosing NATURAL CHOICEยฎ lunch meats: All the varieties feature clean, simple ingredients lists (like the one above for NATURAL CHOICEยฎ Honey Deli Ham). Nothing scary or unknown.
9. Get outside.
This one can be tough depending on the weather and the season, but a little fresh-air therapy is good for everyoneโs physical and mental state. Bring on the bodyโs natural production of Vitamin D through exposure to sunlight.
10. Prioritize sleepโfor everyone.
Many parents (myself included) are a little obsessive with making sure their kiddos get enough sleep. And rightfully so, considering that being well-rested is essential for childrenโs growth, cognitive development and good behavior.
But too often we parents forget that all those benefits of sleep apply to us too; being sleep-deprived is associated with a host of physical and emotional troubles in adults. So while walking around like a zombie is often considered a rite of passage for parenthood, donโt let that phase last too long. Get thee to bed on time and everyone benefits.
Whatโs one tiny change youโre going to make to improve your familyโs health?
For more info, be sure to follow the NATURAL CHOICEยฎ brand on Facebook and Pinterest!
18 responses to “10 Tiny Changes That Make a Big Impact on Your Family’s Well-Being”
Your suggestion on drinking more water is right on. Our family was drinking too much soda and sugary juice drinks and have noticed we all feel healthier since we cut those down and started drinking more water. Often times you’ll be dehydrated and not realize it because you don’t feel thirsty. All your tips were great! Good luck on leading a healthier life style and kudos to your family for making the effort!
Good point about not even realizing you’re dehydrated! That happens to me a lot. I don’t feel thirsty until it’s much too late.
That is a great list!!! The only thing I have a hard time with is the sleep because my mind some nights won’t shut down. We’ve started swapping out products slowly and they definitely don’t realize it when it’s not a sudden change. And it’s always good to try something new!
I have trouble quieting my mind too. I find it’s even tougher if I stare at a screen like my iPad or cell phone right before bed, so I’m trying to shut off all devices at least 30 minutes before trying to fall asleep.
Great tips. Getting sufficient sleep is a huge health bonus. Eating organic and cooking from scratch are some others. Also ditching products with nasty toxins. There are so many small steps we can take.
So true. And they all add up to a big impact!
We have been eating Hormel naturals for several years. Ever since the Nitrate reports starting coming out. We love the product.
It really is a great product! And switching to Natural Choice is such an easy way to improve your family’s well-being.
This is a great list of doable things that make a big positive impact on your health! Anyone can do some of these!
I think a lot of time people think that you can skimp out on sleep and it won’t be a huge issue…I know for myself if I don’t get enough sleep I am a monster.
We push the water too.. we always have a water bottle within reach.
I try to make healthy food a priority. Then life gets busy and I make bad choices, these really are easy ways to combat that!
Sponsored by natural choice perhaps?
Yes, please see the disclosure at the top of the post.
I like your tip to make barely noticeable swaps. I’ve read about hiding veggies in casseroles and would like to try this on my family.
maddiembrubaker {at} gmail [dot] com
Lovely post… so easy but yet we don’t do these things!
Like this list but disagree with #1… Butter is excellent for you, full of heart & brain healthy fats- especially grass fed, it has vitamin k2 which is difficult to find in our diet. Olive oil is great as well of course, but in addition to butter. Same with sour cream as long as raw/ organic. Greek yogurt has lots of good protein but watch for added ingredients & should be organic. Chocolate 70% cacao is good as well in small portions.
Very helpful tips, thank you for sharing!
Thank you for all this helpful information about eating. I had no idea that eating dinner as a family is actually good for your health. We try our best to have family dinner, and will usually plan a night to go out as a family.