Losing Weight as a Family

Many people who need to drop a little (or a lot of) weight are not the only people in their households with the same problem. Seeing your spouse or children with extra, unhealthy weight can be a big motivator for you to model good habits and start getting control of your own weight. However, getting other people on board with your new, healthier lifestyle is sometimes a challenge. Here are some tips for establishing new, healthier habits for the whole family.

Banish the Word “Exercise”

“Hey, can we exercise tonight?” is a sentence uttered by no child ever. Instead, come up with fun physical activities for everyone to participate in (and make participation mandatory). You can enjoy an evening walk, or play two-on-two in the driveway; try a Wii Sports challenge or go swimming. Whatever you choose, keep the focus on having fun, and don’t call it exercise.

Enlist Your Spouse’s Support

You will almost certainly meet some resistance when you propose a new, healthy lifestyle, so make sure your partner is on board. Ask him or her for ideas for fun family activities, and then be sure to use them. Even if you aren’t always crazy about the activities, it’s worth it to have an ally in getting your family healthy.

Set Family Goals

Goal setting is an important part of any long-term project, so set a few together as a family. Maybe you could plan to walk a 5K together, or take a martial arts class together and have everyone try to reach a certain level in a set amount of time. If your family loves to swim, get everyone certified as a lifeguard.

Enjoy Family Rewards

The whole point of setting goals is to enjoy the rewards, so make them good. If your whole family accomplishes a certain objective, reward them with a new gaming system, a trip to the beach, a playoff game in your favourite sport, or something else you know everyone in your household will enjoy.

Making the commitment to get your family healthy is a wonderful gift to give them, so talk to them about your new family goals and habits today.