Getting Your Family Healthy

Our children watch what we do whether we realize it or not. I didn't realize this when I was raising my kids. I didn't know that because I worked at the Y and spent a lot of my free time there playing volleyball, doing step aerobics, swimming, strength training, etc. that my daughter was paying such close attention that she would become a personal trainer and have a passion for fitness.

On the other hand, my son and husband aren't that interested in pursuing a healthy lifestyle. My son has never really enjoyed exercise or sports, unless you count watching MMA. He followed more in his dad's footsteps when it comes to exercise and nutrition. Although my husband did play volleyball, he never has been interested in conventional exercise. He is very active and can hardly sit still for more than a few minutes at a time, unless he is fishing. His philosophy is that he has cheated death many times (cancer, heart attack, crushed, serious vehicle accident...) and isn't going to stop “living” which to him means he's not giving up the food he enjoys eating and he's not giving up his vices like coffee, soda pop, and cigarettes. I think it's a choice he makes just like we all make.

I see my role as a parent to learn the truth about health and wellness and to share it with my family in talk and walk. If I am serious about living a healthy lifestyle, what am I doing to prove it? Am I just learning and talking about it or am I taking action every day to get healthier. I have studied wellness as long as I can remember. I “wished” to be at optimal health, but I wanted both worlds.

I ate what I wanted when I wanted it, even if it was midnight. I exercised when I felt like it. I didn't really push myself. If I had to get on the treadmill or stationary bike, I wanted to read a book while I was doing it. I took pride in my multitasking ability. But, what took me years to figure out is I wasn't getting anywhere with this approach. Einstein's definition of insanity started to sink in: “Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

If I want to get healthy, I must consistently do the things that I know works which is to vigorously exercise 30-60 minutes a day and eat for fuel, not to fill a void that is brought on from other things such as a spiritual need, loneliness, stress, not getting enough sleep, or dehydration. Now I am aware of these things and I work on them every day. This is the year of consistency. In the past, I have given half-effort to living a healthy lifestyle. I worked out here and there, ate clean here and there. It's those gaps that gets you!

I know the best way to get my family on board with a healthy lifestyle is by me being committed to a healthy lifestyle through making healthy food choices, working on my personal development, and finding things for us to do that are active, like going on a hike instead of going to a movie, going swimming at the Y instead of being bored at home, inviting them to join me in fundraiser walks like the one we did last week for the Grant County Rescue Mission.

I share what I learn with my family and set the example for them to follow by walking my talk. What they choose to do is up to them, but I know whether they say anything or not, they are paying attention.

Kathy