Families seeking healthier lifestyles should give homes a health check up

Many families know they could and should make changes to their lifestyles by getting more physical activity, making healthier food choices and spending more time connecting together.

But they struggle with how and where to start.

Once challenge is that many families see healthy living as all or nothing when what they really need are practical tools and permission to celebrate the small wins. The reality is that every family has power over the everyday choices made in the home -- including what we eat, how much time we spend together and even how we play.

Families already feel so overwhelmed that thinking about how to make a healthy, home-cooked meal can seem next to impossible.

But in truth, the best and easiest place to make simple changes is right in front of them -- at home. Giving the homes a simple "check up" can help families assess how well their home promotes healthy living and what small changes can add up to big benefits.

An environmental assessment in the home can be a fun, family activity that gets everyone engaged in identifying existing strengths and opportunities in the home. In conjunction with Healthy Family Home, the YMCA of Clay County offers helpful tips to encourage families to bring healthier habits home.

* Timing activities with a stop watch or clock and awarding points can make the check up an active game -- as fast as they can, have family members inventory the number and variety of fresh fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator or baskets

* Challenge family members to see how quickly they can put their hands on a ball, Frisbee or other outdoor play item.

* Walk up or down and count every stair around the home.

* Award points for every family member who ate breakfast yesterday, everyone who participated in a physical activity in the last three days and every time the family ate a healthy meal together in the past week.

* Conduct a walk-around-the-block drill. Time how fast the entire family can get shoes and jackets on and briskly walk around the block.

* Without advance warning, county how many screens -- computers, TVs, video games -- are currently turned off in the home.

* Engage the family in a cabinet raid. Have each family member grab two or three items from the cabinet and look at labels. Is high-fructose corn syrup more prevalent than whole grains?

Just doing this kind of quiz activity is a great way to get the family thinking in healthy terms and illustrating how easy is it to do some positive things. A healthy home isn't about what you have to give up, it's about what you get. It's about the joy and fun of being active together as a family. It's about the confidence you feel from making healthier choices. It's about having more energy and feeling better.

Together.