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	Current & Upcoming Events Strong Families: Developing Healthy Spirits, Minds and Bodies for All Concepts in Action: Family Wellness

Strong Families: Developing Healthy Spirits, Minds and Bodies for All

(This article, written by Meeting Waters YMCA co- directors Sue and Steve Fortier, appears in the October edition of Parent Express magazine) More often than not, healthy kids are members of healthy families. Families play a critical role in shaping a child's physical activity experiences, their nutritional choices, and their spiritual well-being. We are well aware of the lifestyle health challenges facing millions of American youth and adults, but turning the tides is possible. We know that small changes can make a major impact. The CDC found that participating in moderate physical activity, such as walking for 30 minutes at least five times a week, substantially lowered the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, colon cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity. We also know that introducing healthy habits early can have a lifetime benefit. Children who develop healthy exercise and eating habits while they are young are more likely to continue to lead healthy lifestyles through adulthood. And, thanks to research conducted in 2003 by YMCA of the USA, Dartmouth Medical School and the Institute for American Values, we now know that social connections are also essential to well-being. Studies confirm again and again the vital role that interaction and connectedness play in the long-term health and well-being of individual family members. As families struggle to balance work, family and health, the need to connect is stronger today than ever before. Read about Activate Windham County! »

Concepts in Action: Family Wellness

Need some inspiration? Here are a variety of ideas to strengthen you and your family's spirits, minds and bodies. Building Healthy Spirits Work on a family project together; engage the kids and your partner in home improvement efforts or baking projects. One day or more a week, eat dinner together as a family. Make a regular date night with your partner. Even if it's just a couple of hours every other Tuesday, set aside connect time. Create an e- mail list to keep in touch monthly with extended family and friends regularly instead of just with holiday newsletters and cards. Connect with other families. Reach out to a neighborhood family that you don't know well and commit to getting to know them better. Get involved with a family activity at your local recreation center, place of worship, YMCA, school or other organization. Participate, as a family, in a fundraiser for a local charity. Volunteer for a committee or event in your faith community, school or other community organization. Every season change, plan a family weekend to package outgrown clothes, toys and little- used household goods to deliver to a local charity collection site. Building Healthy Minds Start learning a new language as a family. For example, every Tuesday at dinner, learn words and phrases in a new language and practice using them (perhaps in advance of a trip.) Learn photography as a family-taking photos, working with them on the computer, creating albums and keepsakes. Play word games together like Scrabble, Balderdash, Sudoku or crossword puzzles. Join a book club or create a family book club. Instead of renting movies, read and discuss a book together. Learn how to read food labels as a family. Limit your intake of high fructose corn syrup and other ingredients that compromise your health goals. Building Healthy Bodies Eat fast food one less time each month. Avoid soda or sugary drinks. As your primary drink, choose water, 100% juice or fat-free milk instead. Add at least one fresh fruit snack to your daily routine. Switch to whole grain breads, pasta and cereals. Plan a family "pantry raid"-read labels and remove foods that don't fit in your healthy eating plan-high sugar, trans fats, high fructose corn syrup. Then shop together to restock with healthy foods. Spend 30 minutes a day outside playing with your kids-regardless of the weather. Add physical activity or play time to the calendar. Schedule an evening walk, fitness class, family cooking course, and soccer games for kids with the same commitment as other important meetings. Pick a fun run or walk a few months away. Sign up in advance, train as a family and participate in it together. Think in small steps. If you are just starting an exercise program, focus first on adopting the habit-regular walks or a low-impact class. As you attain your first goal, set the next one and raise the bar if you are ready. Be mindful of choosing an activity that is fun for you, fun for the whole family and will allow you to engage with others. It is much more fun to work towards success when you have the support of your personal community. Building strong families can be just as fun as it is rewarding. By engaging the whole family in planning and participating in healthy activities, everyone will become stronger in more ways than one.