Week 11
Get some activity during lunchtime.
If you work outside the home, this goes for
both you and your spouse: At the start of the week, write an activity – whether
it’s a few laps around the park near your office or going up and down the
stairs – into your calendar for the next five days. And if anyone tries to
corner you as you’re heading out the door, say you’re heading to an off-site
meeting. (Hey, it’s true!)
Use audio-visual tools to motivate your
kids to eat well.
Dr. Melton has used this technique with his
own kids any says, “That impacted them more than any lesson I could give about
nutrition.” For younger children, check out the site where kids can “build” a
healthy plate online and you can find child-friendly recipes. Another goodie:
“Fizzy’s Lunch Lab,” an animated Web-only series about cooking. When they see
food can be fun, it will change their outlook to eating.
Make time to catch up with a friend.
Adults with friends are happier and are
better equipped to handle a stressful situation like job loss, illness, or
marital trouble, research shows. “If you haven’t been making time for your
friends, start now,” says Dr. Sharon Sweede, a family physician in North
Carolina, US. Take some time off from work and catch up for a lunch minus the
kids, or meet up at a mall and deposit the kids in the play area so you can sit
and chat. And remember, “Facebook doesn’t count.” (Not that there anything
wrong with social networking, adds Dr. Sweede, but it shouldn’t be a stand – in
for the real thing.) So make real – not virtual – plans!
Focus on the future.
If something happens to you and your
partner, who will be your children’s guardians? If you’re faced with a terminal
illness, who will look after them? These are big, uncomfortable questions, but
if you and your spouse don’t address them, who will? So whether it’s a term
insurance you need, or a health policy you’re considering, or even drafting a
will, make those appointments with the professionals now!
Week 12
Move exercise equipment to s spot where
you’ll use it.
If you fell you can’t even slip downstairs
to your basement long enough to make your treadmill worthwhile, bring the
equipment to you. “Set it up in a place where you’ll still be able to see your
children doing things around the house,” says Dr. Pasternak. (Keep treadmills
away from the reach of babies and toddlers, though, and unplug the machines
when they’re not in use.) A family room with a TV is a good idea – you won’t
even know where 30 minutes goes when you’re catching a rerun of a favourite
show.
Wait five minutes after eating before
going back for seconds.
You may discover you don’t really want
more. “We often eat when we’re stressed or bored,” says family physician Dr.
Michelle May, author of Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat. “Then we eat food
our body doesn’t need.” In the past 30 years there’s been a sharp rise in
“distracted eating” (eating while watching TV, driving, and working) that is
directly related to consuming more calories. This week, take a break to focus
on your meal. Turn down the volume on all the devices that are beeping at you,
and eat in silence. “Giving yourself even 10 minutes to just eat will lead to a
more pleasurable and satisfying experience,” says Dr. May. Eating at the dining
table – versus in the media room – is a good way to start.
Forgive someone.
No question about it: People, on occasion,
can be jerks. They say and do things that hurt, intentionally or not. But
carrying around resentment does nothing to the offender. And harbouring all
that ill will can have negative consequences on your own health. So this week,
think about who you might be holding a grudge against, and consider letting it
go. Research indicates that forgiving others may contribute to lower blood
pressure; less stress; fewer symptoms of depression, anxiety, and chronic pain;
and a lower risk of alcohol and substance abuse.
Visualize your family in a year.
Now that you’re completed 12 weeks, imagine
the future. What will your lives be like 12 months from now if you increased
your physical activity, regularly ate together, and made more nutritious
choices? It’s an inspiring thought, and one that should keep you going until
these 48 little changes are not goals but a part of your new lifestyle. In the
meantime, if you’ve adopted even one of them, your family is healthier than
before. Cheers to that (and it better be water)!
How It’s Going in My House: Final Thoughts
The goal that really spoke to me this month
was about friends. We’re relatively new to our town, and I needed to do
something about my social situation. I realized I’d been trying to connect with
women in a hit-or-miss way: Striking up awkward small talk outside my kids’
schools, maybe a little too desperately trying to find women with whom I had a
connection. But it’s always easier to meet in an organized group. My town has
two types of welcome clubs, so I decided to join one. Meanwhile, my husband’s
gotten to know other dads by helping out with the school play. The other goal
that hit home was scratching an activity off my children’s schedules. Our days
were becoming dominated by Declan and Katie’s plans, and they’re only 8 and 5.
But I struggle with this: If my kids want to try as many different things as
they do, why shouldn’t I let them? On the other hand, when did Dan and I sign
up to be permanent taxis? My happy medium: Finding activities my kids can do at
the same time, even if it means driving across town. They now enjoy their three
“hang-at-home” weekday afternoons – and Saturdays. That’s progress!
