Families often relax rules, exercise less, and form less-than-healthy habits during the summer. As students go back to school in the fall and experience pressure from seemingly every angle, it’s an opportune time to reintroduce healthy habits in your home, focusing on mental, emotional, and physical wellness. The Faithfully Guided team is committed to helping the whole YOU be healthy through our holistic and supportive approach. And, because children emulate what they see, it’s essential that change starts with you, the parent. 

Prioritize Brain Health

Whether adult or child, there are many ways to exercise your brain and keep it at its best, including doing jigsaw puzzles or playing strategy games. We also recommend our Interactive Metronome (IM) program. IM is a technological innovation that enhances your neural-timing to improve speech, communication, coordination, and learning, skills that rely on your body’s ability to plan and sequence actions or ideas. IM is beneficial in academics and sports for children and adults who are neuro-typical and those with special needs.

Support Mental Health 

Taking care of your mental health is an effective way to reduce stress and stay healthy. Teaching your children early about handling difficult situations benefits them in the long run, so talking about mental health should be something your family regularly does together. These discussions help you discover your children’s feelings, experiences, questions, and concerns that they may not have shared with you if you had not given them the opportunity. 

You can also go further to normalize seeing a Faithfully Guided counselor as part of your own healthcare plan. Childhood and adolescence can bring so much emotional turmoil, and mental wellness should be a part of the whole picture when talking to your children about health. 

Promote Healthy Nutrition 

There are some easily actionable ways to improve your food health while leading your children to healthier lives. For example, make healthy foods a staple of your meals and pay attention to the portion sizes appropriate for each family member’s age. You can also pack nutritious lunches for your kids to eat at school, so there is less temptation to buy junk food from vending machines. And, research suggests that sharing meals as a family increases the likelihood of your children keeping healthy eating habits their entire lives. If your children see you eating more wholesomely, they’ll want to do the same, and healthier eating habits formed now are more likely to continue into adulthood. 

Create Time for Physical Fitness

Incorporating physical exercise not only strengthens the body but also reduces stress. To set a good physical fitness example, you should see your Faithfully Guided primary physician regularly for check-ups and regularly make appointments for your children, even beyond their required school physical. 

You can also schedule outside activities to enjoy as a family at home, and these don’t have to be complicated or intrusive to your lives.  After-dinner walks, weekend bike rides, early morning yoga or stretches can all easily integrate into the family routine. We also offer many programs to suit you and your family at every fitness level, including:

• Jumpstart classes
• Open Turf Gym with Peloton Equipment

Adopt Better Sleep Habits

Sleep is your body’s time to recharge, recover, and rejuvenate, so healthy sleep habits are vital to health and well-being. Create regular bedtimes and nighttime routines for yourself and your children. Make sure that you stick to them as much as possible. Also, limit the use of electronic devices and other distractions at night and make your sleeping environments calm, peaceful, and quiet. 

Make Time for Social Events

Forming and maintaining healthy friendships and relationships is essential for overall health no matter your age, but especially during childhood. Having friends during the formative school years helps children learn communication, conflict-resolution, and collaboration skills that help them their entire lives. Let your children see you making an effort to nurture your own adult friendships, and set that example. Our social health groups at Faithfully Guided can help you form new friendships while being a role model for your children.    

Faithfully Guided is Here to Help Your Entire Family

These are just a few ways to focus on shifting back into a healthy mindset during the fall. But, you do not have to feel overwhelmed or alone when reprioritizing your well-being. Helping both you and your family achieve healthy living is our number one priority at Faithfully Guided. We are honored to walk beside you on your health and wellness journey so that, whatever your goals may be, you can start living your most abundant lives today.