- Designate each family member a week where they have to come up with one healthy recipe idea that they will eat. Everyone tries it together and votes it “in” or “out” of the family menu.
- Make a fitness challenge with a prize for the winner. The prize shouldn’t be a trip to Ben and Jerry’s, but maybe a long-desired activity or even a “get out of household chores for a week” certificate. Affordable pedometers can even make the challenge incorporate into every day life! He who takes the most steps each month wins the title!
- Eat your way through the alphabet. One letter every two weeks, a vegetable or fruit or healthy dish starting with that bi-weekly letter.
- Make a list of new, fun physical activities to try as a family. Foxtrot to fencing, zumba to zip-lining, change it up. You may discover a new sport together, or at least get some very interesting pictures for the family album! Affordable activities are often available at community centers.
- Find volunteer activities that build on your own health goals. Volunteering at a food bank can offer a day’s worth of physical activity along with a better appreciation of having healthy food on the table at home.
Over time, note the challenges that go well and work for your family. Then, base your bigger changes on things you find fun, incorporating these more and more into your schedule. Ideally, the experience will also offer quality family time, too. Which is healthy for everyone.
