Healthy (and HAPPY) Holidays with the Family

Being healthy and staying fit is not easy during the busy holiday season, with the darker mornings and especially if people around you are doing the exact opposite. You and your family need to work as a team. Be aware of each other’s strengths and weaknesses and encourage each other toward a healthier lifestyle!

Hi, I’m Angela Salveo and I’m excited to start writing this new “FIT Patch” blog twice a month for Patch.com. I’m originally from Iowa and lived 8 years in California, but have called New Jersey my home for the past couple years with my husband, Gino and family. You can see below that health and fitness is my passion…and has been since I was very young. My ultimate goal is to share my love for fitness and wellness with the Middletown community, motivate you to lead a healthier lifestyle and show you how to have fun doing it. 

As a mother of 2-year old twins, I know exactly how challenging it is to stick to your guns and lead a healthy lifestyle…ahh, here comes the temptation of convenience. Thankfully, my husband is on the same page regarding our mission to lead a healthy lifestyle with the kids. Unfortunately, not everyone has that same support team available. So, to be successful in YOUR mission try these tips to start achieving your healthy holiday goals today.

Promote healthy habits for you and your family by limiting the amount of packaged food you buy at the grocery store. By choosing unprocessed foods (don’t think of this as a diet, rather, a lifestyle change), you begin to emphasize whole, natural foods that are close to their original state. “Eating clean” can help to increase your energy levels, support restful sleep and of course, encourage weight loss!

Give it a try… challenge yourself for three days to omit anything that comes in a box, carton or wrapped in plastic. The American Heart Association reported in the Journal "Circulation" in August 2009 that Americans eat 22.2 teaspoons of added sugar daily; amounting to a non-nutritious 355 extra calories (this number has only grown). Eating unprocessed foods helps you trim some of these calories, leading to a healthier, happier YOU.

Motivate each other by inviting the family to be active together. Limit TV and computer time (I think we’re all a little guilty of spending too much time in front of a screen, aren’t we?). Bundle up and go for a family walk...when was the last time you skipped? On the next snowfall, get outside and shovel together, build a fort… and, why not have a snowball fight! One of my favorite sneaky ways to fit exercise in with the kids is to crank up the music and dance.

Remember, even if you just make one small change in the way you eat or choose to dance one more song with your kids, you’ll start to reconnect to yourself (your body, your mind, your spirit) which only makes you a better you.