Harvest Green - 10 Tips for Staying Fit as a Family

Regular exercise and eating healthy food increase cardiovascular health, reduces stress, increases focus, improves sleep and minimize illness. It’s important but fitting it into your busy schedule isn’t easy. The solution is to stay fit as a family.

Making fitness a priority in your home teaches children healthy habits, helps you meet your personal fitness goals and is more fun than sweating it out on a treadmill. Here are 10 tips for crafting a fitness program the entire family will love.

Set Goals

Teaching children how to set realistic goals is a good start for your family fitness program. Encourage their input and refrain from focusing on losing weight. Your goals can be as simple as taking an evening walk every day or eating one vegetarian meal per week. Once your goals have been achieved, hold a family meeting and set new ones.

Ground Rules are Important

Not everyone likes the same type of exercise. Let family members know it’s okay to opt out of anything they don’t enjoy doing. Encourage them to come up with a different type of workout. The same rule goes for food. If your child can’t stand broccoli find something equally nutritious, he or she will eat.

Families Can Have Hobbies

Hobbies aren’t just for individuals. Find a sport everyone enjoys and take lessons together. Tennis is a great activity. Harvest Green has tennis courts so residents can practice their backhands. If your goal is to eat healthier meals, see if you can find family cooking classes.

Simple is Better

Some families don’t enjoy sports. That’s okay, you can make simple changes to your life that encourage healthy habits. Have everyone take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park the car further from the grocery store to out a few extra steps on your Fit Bit. Replace after school cookies with apple slices or a healthy smoothie. Our residents enjoy browsing our edible landscaping for delicious and healthy treats.

Hit the Trails

Walking is the best exercise there is and it’s more fun if you can do it as a family. If your family has trails like Harvest Green, set up family walks in the evening. Got some speed demons? Ride your bikes or roller blade. Kids can jog too but ask them to go easy on you.

Walk or Run for Charity

Teach your children that exercise can help people less fortunate than themselves by signing up for a charity walk or run. Instead of just showing up the day of, train for it together. Not sure where to find one? Harvest Green hosts an annual OutRun Hunger 5K Family Walk and Run to raise money for the East Fort Bend Human Need Ministry.

Get Creative

Get out of the gym or exercise class rut. Get your family moving by creating a family exercise video. Family members can take turns demonstrating exercise moves. Plan the music, lighting, workout clothes and then get filming. Or set up family challenges such as who can jump rope the longest, walk the farthest or eat the most vegetables. Keep track on a leader board.

Bring the Farm to the Table

Eating healthy is as important as exercising but kids can be picky eaters (heck even adults don’t always eat their vegetables). Get everyone excited by joining a CSA, visiting a weekly farmers market or starting a garden. If you make the move to Harvest Green you can enjoy all three since we have a CSA and a farmers market. You also can join our Farm Club to learn how to grow your own fruits and vegetables with the help of our farm educators.

Cook Together

Once you bring those fruits and vegetables home, get out the cookbooks. Have your kids pick out recipes they think they will like and give everyone a job to do. Not only will start eating healthier you will have time to bond as a family.

Meditation Isn’t Just for Adults

Think meditation is just for adults? Kids can benefit as well, and they are surprisingly good at it. Check out this primer courtesy of Parents magazine.

The Bottom Line

If you stay fit as a family, you are more likely to keep exercising and meet your personal fitness goals. Need a little more help? Make the move to Harvest Green. Our community is dedicated to your family’s health and happiness.

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