In most homes today, at least one person is overweight by the standard mentioned above. In addition, most homes today have at least two people that are out of shape. Yikes! For a family of two, that cancels everyone out.
To be transparent, I am overweight. I am the heaviest I have been in my whole entire life and I gained this weight after giving birth to seven children. My family is in great shape. We all eat healthy and they are extremely athletic. I am a certified pilates trainer who does not consistently work out. My husband is a personal trainer who works out daily. All my children are athletic and do some kind of a sport or motion-driven activity regularly. How is it that I can continue to be overweight?
Honestly, I am the most uncomfortable person in the home. I see their activity and I want to do more. Their physique inspires me to work on myself. I’ve started and stopped so many diets, workouts, challenges, and training that I am over it altogether. I know what to do and how to do it but the motivation and umph that I need is lacking most days. Every now and again I feel like G.I. Jane and I want to conquer every weight, elliptical, and stair climber in sight.
Someone reading this may feel the same way. What can be done to bring your family into a healthier state of mind and being? Do you just cut all bad foods out and go cold turkey? No! For most people, you will need to find out what works for you and your body type. Everyone cannot just stop eating everything and be healthy right now. That is okay.
Being totally healthy can take time. Making healthy choices is every day all day. You have the power to make better decisions. We can stop eating processed foods and eating sweets. We can watch less TV and do more exercise and activities.
What to do to help your family lose weight?
Take inventory of the food you have on hand. When we actually look at what we are eating and see just how far from healthy it is, it helps us realize what changes are needed.
Have a family meeting and discuss what needs to be done. Speaking with everyone shows how much you care and that you are willing and excited about including the family as you embark on this journey of no longer being overweight and unhealthy.
Do a family meal plan and snack list. Gaining an understanding of what each person has a taste for can take a while and even more so when the diet is changing. Be sure to address food proportions when creating the meal plan.
Create a family activity plan. This family activity plan will identify what everyone likes to do and what you can do together or individually to achieve your goal. Be sure to make the goals reasonable so that it is not overwhelming to achieve them. You will also want to add just a little fun if not a lot of fun to the family activity plan.
Limit electronics. When we take away electronics, we can do things that provoke learning, brain stimulation, and increase our metabolism by springing into action. Screen time should be limited to 20-30 minutes a day.
Have weekly meetings. Discussing how everyone is doing throughout the week encourages everyone to stay on course and understand that no one is alone on the journey. Be prepared to laugh and cry together. When you drop weight, you find out there is more than just physical weight that you were carrying.
This is just a plan to get you started. Most people think that they cannot afford to eat healthy. If you eat to live and not to be satisfied, you will see that it costs more to eat carelessly. You cannot afford to be overweight. Living an unhealthy lifestyle taxes your mind, body, soul, and wallet with medical bills and junk food. Not to mention the level of uncomfortability with the way you look and feel.
Because our family means so much to us, we must take the time to address the needs within our home so that we can create a safe and healthy environment that will reproduce after its kind. It is okay to break the mold and do what you need to do for yourselves.
Note: As always, consult your family physician before starting to workout especially if you are taking medications or have limitations that you will need to adhere to during a workout.
~Be Blessed
Ty