There’s no secret about the habits that lead to fundamental good health. The problem is, and always has been, incorporating these habits into your lifestyle.
At South Central Family Practice Clinic in Soldotna, Alaska, we encourage a holistic approach to health. In this new year, the best gift you can give your family is creating a structure in which all members can simply and naturally embrace healthy habits.
The American Heart Association® offers its perspective on good health in its Life’s Essential 8™, featuring behaviors and factors upon which a solid foundation of health rests. Their essential eight includes:
Every family can implement these touchpoints to improve health for everyone in the household. We’ve targeted four healthy habits as a starting place. You know your family best, so establish the priorities that are important to you.
In a family with only one cook, there’s little opportunity to pass on the knowledge to young ones. Busy lives may dictate compromises in the form of convenience foods, allowing for more time for the solo chef.
Planning and preparing meals for the week affords two healthy habits worth pursuing this year. First, you can control grocery shopping, ensuring that last-minute take-out pizza or other fast foods remain an occasional treat, not an essential part of the family’s diet.
Second, you can assign food preparation to others. Older children who can handle knives safely can cut potatoes and other vegetables to expedite meal assembly (consider child-friendly knives).
Even tasks like taking food from the freezer in the morning make a big difference when dinner needs to come together fast. Post the schedule on the fridge, and follow up until everyone is reliably on board.
Sleep isn’t optional. Unfortunately, sleep routines are often one of the first areas to suffer when life demands more time.
Make sleep a priority by scheduling bedtimes for everyone in your home, especially the adults. Quality rest is important for everyone. Build a wind-down routine to make easing into bed a natural process, then let nature do the rest.
Moderate, low-impact activities, such as biking, swimming, or walking, 30 minutes a day, five times a week, are generally accepted as a healthy baseline of activity for fundamental aerobic health. Incorporate family activity time together to reach this target.
When activity becomes a daily habit, your children inherit the benefits of activity without conscious thought. Start small if necessary. Even 10 minutes of activity boosts mood and energy.
The saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, but that doesn’t always apply to your health. As wellness visit specialists, we encourage you to maintain a regular schedule of health checkups even when you or your family members feel fine.
This allows us to monitor and assess your health in a preventive way, giving us a better chance to catch changes early, before problems become major.
The team at South Central Family Practice Clinic, led by Gladys Bailon, MD, is here for you and your family every step of the way. Call or click to book your next visit with us today.
