Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Make It a Family Affair!

Make it a Family Affair!



Making getting healthy and losing weight a family affair is one way to help not only yourself, but those around healthier as well. As humans we crave companionship and support. By working together as a group, whether it be those who live in your household or sister, mother, friend, or co-worker, we tend to get better results and stick to a healthier lifestyle. When you have someone that you can lean on for support to get through those rough spots it is much easier than going it alone.



Here are some tips for setting yourself up for success:


  • Let your family, friends, and so-worker know that you have decided to make some changes in your eating habits. Be sure that you present it as a lifestyle change, not a "diet", because they will want to help more than if it were just another diet. Explain that you want to start getting healthy now so you can enjoy your life more now and in the future. Ask them to help will also add accountability.

  • Buddy up. Since the fact is that 2/3 of Americans are overweight, chances are you can find someone who is interested in healthier eating habits as well. Research shows that if one person loses weight those around them are going to want to know what they did to lose it. Pairing up will again add accountability and support.

  • Start small at first so that the changes are less noticeable. It helps to ease into weight loss to avoid unwanted attention. For example, use a salad plate instead of a dinner plate. If you set the whole table with smaller plates chances are your family won't even notice and they will all be consuming less food without even realizing it. You can tell them when they start noticing their clothes are fitting better.

  • Suggest going for a walk or a bike ride as a family or group activity, you could even give your group a name. Some other fun activities as a group are bowling, Frisbee, swimming, horseback riding, planting a garden or flowers, or even interactive video games.

So call a family meeting today and get everybody on the healthy track just in time for summer.

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