Family Health:

Mom and Dad and children’s health is paramount to having productive days at work and at school. So how does a family stay well and avoid sickness? That is a loaded question considering that there are environmental concerns and issues that challenge our health and wellness such as eating habits, exercise habits, and habitual smoking/drinking. To be forewarned is to be forearmed so here are some things to know and be aware:

Eating habits:  Making sure that fruits and vegetables top the list of foods eaten is a great place to start for having a healthy family. If there are at least 3 helpings of fruit and vegetables in a daily diet, you are more likely to get the recommended daily amount of vitamins and minerals that can protect your health and control your weight.

The following is a table to find out how many fruits and vegetables you need to stay healthy:

Source: http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/downloads/Low_Literacy_Brochure.pdf

Exercise habits: In the times and days in which we live, we are more sedentary than at any other time in history. The lack of being physically active is taking its toll on our health. The more we move and groove, the better it is for our overall health. Experts say that the mind benefits with serotonin which is a chemical that is manufactured every time we are physically active. Why is this chemical so important to us? Serotonin causes us to feel great and chases away feelings of despair and depression. Just a simple exercise regimen can really make a difference. Try going for a walk around the block at least three times a week. Park your car a distance away from the store and take the stairs instead of the elevator. Just making these action steps could start to make a difference not only on how you feel, but what you see when you weigh yourself. Begin immediately and consider doing the following:

1. Choose a day and time convenient for the entire family.
2. Choose exercises the entire family is able to perform.
3. Be creative; make sure the routine is not boring and dull.
4. Don’t overdo it; make it fun and something they look forward to and make up some of the exercises for the family to do it.

Source:http://moveitmiamicounty.wordpress.com/2010/04/26/creating-a-family-workout-routine/

Habitual smoking and drinking: Smoking and drinking are two vices that are killing the smokers and drinkers and the people around them. Second hand smoke has been found to cause lung cancer even in patients who never smoked a cigarette in their lives. Pregnant women smoking give birth to underweight babies. These two facts should give us all an incentive for not smoking. Then there is drinking in excess. Once again the mind is affected by what we do; only this time the effect is very unhealthy. Drinking alcoholic beverages dulls the senses and causes you to lose control of your faculties, reasoning and judgment. This affects driving, work performance and relationships. This should be reason enough for refraining from these two vices. Look for substitutions such as:

Working out

Taking extra leisure time

Drinking lots of water, fruit juice

Meditating

Source: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/ten-great-smoking-substitutes.html