Five Ways to Jumpstart a Healthy Lifestyle for your Family

By Suzanne Rostler, MS, RD

Second in a series of articles on achieving a healthier lifestyle via a unique pediatric weight management program offered at Great Moves! in Newton.

Summer is the perfect time for healthy lifestyle habits. The days are longer and brighter, allowing families to spend more active time together outdoors. And at no time during the year is the variety of fruits and vegetables more abundant. Whether you’re looking for ways to hone the healthy habits you’ve already established, or find ways to create new ones, read on…

1. Walk the Walk. If parents want their kids to learn healthy habits, it’s essential that they lead by example. It’s not enough to tell your kids about the benefits of fruits and vegetables if your own diet is as processed as a potato chip. So before starting your family on a path to a healthier lifestyle, examine your own habits to make sure you can be a role model. 

2. Summer Cleaning. One of the most important steps that parents can take is to protect the home food environment. This means keeping unhealthy foods out of the home and stocking up on whole, minimally processed foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, chicken and fish. If you don’t want your child to eat unhealthy foods, don’t keep them around. You are the nutritional gatekeeper of the family and as such, have the power to determine what food makes it into your home.

3. Family Meals.Between after-school activities, homework and parents’ work schedules, it’s hard for families to break bread together during the week. But studies have shown families that eat together can stay healthy together. In particular, kids who eat with their families have been shown to consume more fruits, vegetables and calcium-rich foods, and less soda, fried foods and trans fat. Not surprisingly, they are less likely to be overweight.

4. Turn off the TV. Many kids while away endless hours in front of a screen –computer, video or television. Each of these accounts for time that could be spent in active pursuits. However, TV is particularly dangerous when it comes to your child’s weight. One reason is that it exposes kids to food commercials, the vast majority of which advertise processed foods like sugary cereals and sugar-sweetened drinks. Kids who see food ads are more likely to nag their parents for the advertised products and their parents are more likely to buy the products. These kids are also less likely to eat healthy foods.

5. Make Family Time = Active Time.  Summer is the ideal time to enjoy active outings together. Instead of gathering around the TV each night after dinner, take a walk or a bike ride. Enjoy beach outings on weekends or head to a local park or playground. Besides the benefit of physical activity, these outings provide families with an opportunity to bond and learn a bit more about each other.  

Suzanne Rostler is clinical director at Great Moves!, which provides pediatric and adolescent weight management services at its center in Newton, Massachusetts. She also serves as senior dietitian in the Optimal Weight for Life (OWL) program at Children’s Hospital Boston.