Certain habits should be instilled in a person’s psyche from an early age. Especially ones that could lead to long term health benefits such as regularly scheduled doctor visits and the taking of supplements to makeup certain vitamin deficits a body might have or boost a person’s mineral intake. Adults, functioning as the heads of household, should make it a point of duty to set examples for their younger charges by trying to emphasize their own health. From stocking up on both adult and children’s vitamins to scheduling special exercising time and even preparing meals together, could set the right precedent for the youths to emulate. Although definitely not predicated on the seasons, there are certainly certain precautions that should be observed whenever the weather gets too extreme. During the summer, there should be several safeguards put in place in order for families to properly enjoy all that it has to offer, in addition to helping children, and adults, acquire healthy bodies and minds needed to navigate modern day life. The following are tried and true actions that could be taken by heads of households to help improve their family’s health.
Ways to Improve Family’s Health This Summer
- Have a family night regularly – Eating together is a fantastic time for the whole family to enjoy time with one another. In the digital age it’s easy to become distracted and distanced from family eating and cooking together could be great for both mental and physical health. It could be really fun! Especially challenging children to ensure that each of the recipes chosen by the family has vegetables, a quarter protein and a quarter whole grain for a balanced, nutritious meal. If the family keeps healthy snacks on hand, and they are offered at the right times, these snacks – ones that are low in sugar, fat, and salt – could really play an important role in managing children’s hunger and boosting nutrition.
- Use Sunscreen – If the aim is for the family to be one with the sun this summer. The head of the household should at least try to stock up copious amounts of sunscreen. Sunburns are the last thing any parent wants this summer, or any summer. Luckily there are plenty of choices between ultraviolet A (UVA) protection and ultraviolet B (UVB) protection, sun protection factor (SPF) 30 vs SPF 50, physical sunscreen vs chemical sunscreen and so on and so forth. The idea is to make sure the skin health of each member of the family is still intact after whatever daytime sojourns that are planned.
- Boost your family’s immunity – Maintaining a strong immune system is important all year long, but too many people forget to try in the warmer seasons. Small nutrients like vitamins A, C, D and E are great for boosting a family’s combined immunity. So too are minerals like iron and magnesium that are abundant in leafy greens like spinach and in grasses like spirulina. Speaking about family immunity, there are too many heads of households that have no clue what they, or younger family members, might have an allergic reaction to. Summer months bring about an increase in pollen count and thus more children may be affected by hay fever and such. But what adults should be particularly wary of is all the new food that will be on market during the summer. With all the new creative tweaks and combinations of the eight types of foods that are notorious for bringing out adverse allergic reactions in people: Shellfish; Milk; Eggs; Tree Nuts – almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios and walnuts; Soy; Wheat; Fish and Peanuts. It would be easy to not be vigilant in reading all labels if they include possible allergens. It is then good practice to be prepared with a few at home allergy tests to make doubly sure what is ingested is clear for everyone and if there is a reaction the suitable treatments can be sought.
- Keeping the family hydrated – Remaining hydrated during the summer and the heat it wields, is a must. Drinking the recommended eight to ten glasses of water a day can help keep bones and muscles healthy, help to maintain weight, improve brain function and best of all, fuel all these planned fun activities for the family throughout the summer day. However hydration means more than just drinking water. The food consumed must also aid in the fight against all heat related maladies. Watermelons are, normally, so high with water that it helps regulate body temperatures. Leafy vegetables are usually rich in carotenoids which the body converts into vitamin A. This helps in protecting the skin from the harmful UV rays. It also helps in mending dry skin by strengthening the skin’s defenses against the sun as the water content keeps you and your family satisfied. Mangoes are the perfect summer treat. Mostly, because as a summer fruit, it helps prevent heat strokes while being quite refreshing. It is also high on vitamins A and C which helps build the immune system.
- Exercise – Exercise is another way to improve the overall health of the family, there should be at least 150 minutes of physical activity every week. These activities could be walking, running, cycling, swimming or just horsing around. Quite a few of these activities could be done right in a person’s backyard or in and around the neighborhood.The most important thing is for people to find routines that help to keep themselves and their children exercising regularly. Exercise also has a holistic effect on the human body and includes effects on psychological health. What this means is that in every workout a single step is not just a step closer to a healthier body, but also to a healthier more productive mind. This could be an invaluable habit for a child to form for their continued development.
- Mediation – Believe it or not, one of the ways to improve mental health within families is to create routines that provide time for quiet reflection and meditation, both as a family and individually. Within the family unit, children can learn how to become resilient overcomers—adept at the art of failing, but without being thought of or internalizing being a failure. Both children and adults learn how to deal with conflict and to process their emotions, such as anger, grief, disappointment, and fear. They eventually should develop emotional intelligence through family interactions, and that promotes healthy interactions with others. Which should put them well on their way to improve the mental health of their family.
