The holidays have wrapped up, and a new year is here. And if you’re like many, 2025 will be the year to get healthy. Making healthy changes can be intimidating, especially if you’re doing it on your own. So, this year, why not mix things up and involve the whole family by setting health goals together? Ultimately, accountability is half the battle, and if the whole household is involved, it might be easier to honor your commitment to better health.
Sounds good, right? So where do you start? If you've ever Googled “get healthy as a family” the number of articles and perspectives can be daunting. This year, you can keep it simple by focusing on these three areas of health:
1. Eat Better: Aim for an overall healthy eating pattern that includes whole foods, lots of fruits and vegetables, lean protein, nuts, seeds and cooking in non-tropical oils such as olive and canola. Have a picky eater at home? Don’t give up. Continue to offer healthy foods and, with time, they may just come around. And if you're looking for recipes, the American Heart Association has variety of kid-friendly recipes on recipes.heart.org
2. Be More Active: Kids should have 60 minutes of physical activity every day, including play and structured activities. Taking a family walk at night or having a dance party indoors are easy ways to spend quality time while staying active.
3. Get Healthy Sleep: Most adults need seven to nine hours of sleep each night. Children require more: 10-16 hours for ages 5 and younger, including naps; nine to 12 hours for ages six to 12; and eight to 10 hours for ages 13 to 18. Adequate sleep promotes healing, improves brain function and reduces the risk for chronic diseases.
Taking small steps to better health can add up to big changes over time, and leading your family by example is a great way to show that healthy habits are important.
The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. The Association’s school-based program, Kids Heart Challenge™, offers a variety of physical activities to get elementary students’ hearts pumping such as dance, basketball or jumping rope paired with digital missions to learn life-saving skills like Hands-Only CPR™ and how to spot a stroke. The program, a successful part of thousands of schools from coast-to-coast, targets improving whole-body wellness which is vital to drive immediate and long-term health in children. To learn more about the Kids Heart Challenge or to get your student’s school involved visit, www.heart.org/getstarted or contact me at amy.shirley@heart.org.
