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A Happy and Healthy New Year

It’s a new year and a perfect time for a fresh start in helping your family lead a healthier lifestyle. While the days get busy with work, school, and kids’ extracurricular activities, you can incorporate small changes that will have a big impact on your family’s health.

Check out the ideas below to help your family have a happy and healthy 2016!

Start your day with a healthy breakfast

Give yourself the energy you need to start each day off right by having a nutritious breakfast. A healthy breakfast is beneficial for the entire family, and it can help kids perform better in school. Set aside time in the morning, and prepare the night before if needed, to ensure you don’t miss this important meal. Learn more about how to establish or expand a school breakfast program here.

Join Team FNV

Join Team FNV by committing to eat your FNVs – fruits and vegetables that is. Eat a rainbow of colors to get a variety of vitamins and minerals, and mix things up by cutting veggies so they are more appealing, either in bite size pieces or by using a cookie cutter to create fun shapes that kids will love.

Drink Up with more water

Make it a point to drink water throughout the day to stay hydrated. Keep a reusable bottle with you as a constant reminder, and have reusable bottles filled with water in the refrigerator ready to go so you can grab a few if your family is heading out on a trip or just for a few hours.

Be active together as a family

Turn your family time into active time. Limit time sitting in front of the TV or other electronic devices, and plan out designated times each week to do family activities, like taking a walk or bike ride, hiking around a local park, or just heading out into the backyard for a game of tag. If the weather doesn’t permit being outside, play active games indoors, like turning on some tunes and dancing in the living room or finding a nearby community center that offers indoor activities.

Involve kids in family meals

Getting kids involved in family meals has many benefits. When kids are engaged in meal preparation they are more likely to try new foods. You can also have kids pick out a new fruit or veggie to try each week to keep them interested, and do taste tests with new foods to see what preparation your kids like best. Teach lifelong skills by having kids watch or help in cooking meals, and sit and eat together as family. It’s a great time to hear about everyone’s day and enjoy spending more time together free from other distractions.

Have fun

Stay excited about making these changes so that kids get excited about them too, and eventually they can become part of your normal routine. Encourage the whole family to come up with new meal and activity ideas so that everyone feels involved and can contribute. Lastly, don’t be discouraged if things don’t go exactly how you had hoped. Focus on the fun and finding ways that everyone will enjoy making these healthy changes.

For more tips and ideas, stay connected to Let’s Move! all year long by following us on Twitter and liking us on Facebook.