Family Health And Fitness Day: Promoting The Importance Of Fitness, Diet And Keeping Healthy

The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) designates Family Health & Fitness Day on the second Saturday of June each year. Started in 1996, the goal of Family Health & Fitness Day is to promote physical activity and overall wellness for families. 

Family Health & Fitness Day emphasizes the importance of exercise in keeping communities active and healthy. Obesity rates are trending upward for both adults and children, so creating a healthy atmosphere in the home helps establish good nutritional and physical habits for life. Health and fitness — when incorporated into your family’s daily routine — can be beneficial for everyone involved!  

Making Health And Fitness A Family Affair

One of the goals in the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health is to get the whole family involved in exercise. What better way to teach your children healthy habits than by being active as a family!  According to the report, Americans – especially those between the ages of 12 and 21 – are not active enough.

NJdiet would like to take this opportunity for Family Health And Fitness Day to provide you with valuable information on how to take charge of your family’s health, which often begins with managing your weight through diet and exercise.

Why Family Health Is So Important

Many medical professionals agree that physical and mental health are interrelated, so taking care of one can impact the other in achieving a balanced life. Statistics show that if adults are unhealthy, fatigued, or consistently stressed, the effect on your children, or those your care for, can cause sleeplessness, depression, and more. In short, the health of the entire family is connected by it’s individual members, and taking responsibility for your own health can in turn mean stronger, happier lives for everyone. Exercising and cooking healthy meals together — as well as spending quality time together — strengthen the family bond and encourages family health.

Fitness Tips

For 2019, the theme of Family Health & Fitness Day is “Get Fit” – challenging everyone to “Get Fit” by doing a minute of jumping jacks (regular or modified) with family and/or friends at a local park or recreation center.  

There are numerous benefits to staying active and maintaining a good fitness routine, not only for your physical health, but for your mental health as well. While there are many factors that make up a healthy home, a good place to start is becoming the change for your family.

The NRPA’s Top 5 Ways to “Get Fit”:

1. Take a Walk
2. Go for a Swim
3. Enroll in a Fitness Program
4. Create Your Own Exercise Routine
5. Play Outside

There are several other ways families can enjoy physical activity and exercise together. In order to recognize the message of Family Health & Fitness Day, here are suggestions on healthy activities to try with your family!

• Exercising During TV Time: Just because the television is on, that doesn’t mean activity needs to stop. Doing simple stretches or warms up such as jumping jacks will get their body and minds moving. Additionally, limit “screen time” for your kids, while also setting a good example by limiting your own time spent on the phone, tablet, or computer.

• Bike And Walk Instead Of Driving: Save the car for a longer trip, and make traveling part of your families’ exercise plan. If you have to drive, park a little further away from your destination to extend the walk to and from your vehicle.

• Making Household Chores “Active”:  Make chores a game instead of something everyone dreads.  Turn up the music and make cleaning time more lively and fun.

• Track Your Steps:  Using fitness trackers/pedometers to count steps, and set goals with celebratory activities once milestones are reached. Find little ways every day to help your family reach their step goals, such as taking the stairs instead of escalators or elevators.

• Compete in an Obstacle Course: Obstacle courses are pure fun and can easily be set up in your backyard or your local park using items found around the home. You can use just about anything to create a fun obstacle course in the yard!

• Play a Game: Instead of sitting home and watching football, go outside and play your own! Get all the family together and organize a touch football game. This is a really fun way to get in some physical activity too!

• Visit A Park: Weather permitting, hiking and scenic walks in local parks are fantastic and inexpensive ways to exercise with your kids and teach them to appreciate Mother Nature up close and personal. Get outside and get your blood pumping together — you may create some lasting memories as well as a lifelong habit of staying in shape.
  
  However you decide to celebrate, be creative, have fun and be actively involved in your family’s health and fitness! 

Nutrition Tips

By setting family goals and practicing good nutritional habits, you can make overall wellness a priority. In addition, by choosing healthier lifestyle choices, you can also lead to a more fulfilling life for you and your family!  It’s recommended that you eat 5-9 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. Having fruit and veggies already in the home will make this goal much easier to reach.

Here are some additional nutritional tips:

• Stick To A Grocery List:  The best way to keep from eating junk is to simply not bring it into the home. Save desserts or candy for special occasions or celebrations, and don’t make junk food a reward.
• Make Breakfast The Most Important Meal: Fruit, whole grains, oatmeal, and eggs all make excellent choices for the first meal of the day. Avoid sugary cereals or skipping this important meal altogether.
• Cook And Eat Together As A Family:  Get everyone involved in creating a balanced meal by learning how to make their favorite foods.
• Make Healthier Lunch Choices: There are many recipes available that make even the most ordinary lunches seem exciting.
• Choose Better Snacks:  Small changes like flavored water instead of soda or fruits for dessert can make a big difference in diet.

The NJdiet program is a specialized program utilizes DNA testing to determine your ideal diet and workout plan, taking into account your eating behavior. We use personalized genetic testing can also used by any of your health care providers to help make critical decisions regarding your health. Each individual’s specific needs for essential vitamins, plus many more metabolic factors are assessed genetically to make sure you stay healthy for years to come.

Other Ways To Achieve Family Wellness

The following tips can assist towards keeping you and your family on the right path, all while managing and maintaining diet, fitness, and mental health:

• Oral Health: Good oral hygiene, including regular check-ups, cleanings, frequent brushing, and flossing, is imperative in establishing a good foundation for health. The removal of plaque and prevention of cavities, gingivitis, periodontal disease, and tooth decay can impact other conditions, and poor oral hygiene has been linked to cardiovascular disease, premature birth, and more.
• Limiting Alcohol And Stopping The Use Of Tobacco: Alcohol in moderation can be part of your lifestyle, but limiting alcohol consumption as much as possible – as well as eliminating the use of tobacco altogether – is key towards living a healthy life, and establishing a model of good health that can be followed by the entire family.
• Mental Health: Stress and depression can be linked to physical conditions such as fatigue, severe body aches and pains, migraines and more. Taking a little time each day to turn off devices, meditate, breathe deeply, and empty your mind can help towards lowering blood pressure and heart rate. Families who meditate together or incorporate “quiet time” report a heightened feeling of wellbeing, which can impact physical health.

Creating a healthy life for your family by encouraging good eating habits and wellness is part of what we strive towards. By starting with putting the focus on being healthy yourself, you in turn can create an environment that instills healthy habits in your children or other loved ones. Making the decision every day to engage in healthy habits, you are helping to ensure better health for you and your children—not only for today, but for the future.

NJ Diet utilizes DNA testing to determine your ideal diet and workout plan. Using blood work, hair and saliva sample, patients typically lose 20-50 pounds in only 40 days. In addition, you will see that dieting is only one component of our program. Our program is also a detoxification and hormone balancing program – where the side effect is weight loss, but the end result is better overall health and well being.

Family Health And Fitness Day can serve as a reminder that celebrating your health and wellness on a daily basis is a positive step for the entire family.

These are just some of the helpful tips for you and your family to develop healthy habits. Of course each family is different and has specific health issues they may be facing, so as always consult your healthcare professional.

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We welcome the opportunity for you to have a consultation at NJdiet.

A consultation is normally $99, but by registering on our website it will only cost $27! 

Our program is not only aimed at promoting healthy weight loss, but aims to improve your total wellness. Each of our client’s specific needs for vitamins and supplements are assessed, plus many more metabolic factors are genetically tested to make sure you succeed on our program — not just for temporary weight loss, but to maintain good health for life!