This is my guest blog for Chris Powell's Reshape the Nation website!!! I am so excited about this great opportunity!!!
Why is it Hard to Raise a Healthy Family?
Posted by Elle Harting on 06/30 at 02:00 PM • (0) Comments - Be the first!
There are more challenges than ever today to raise a healthy family. We have become all too accustomed to quick and convenient leisure like fast food and take-out! Maybe so much so that the traditional family routine of a healthy home cooked meal is near extinction.
Today, many families find it the norm to have a two parent working family. Often times, this signifies more obligations and less time for traditional family routine. Many parents find themselves over extended, and at the end of a long day the last thing on their mind is a healthy home cooked meal. I call this scenario “The 5 o’clock Frenzy”. We all know that dinner is a necessity every night but more often than not, 4:00 rolls around and panic sets in about the mealtime menu. “The 5 o’clock Frenzy explains the mind set of the average American today. We can now understand why many turn to drive-thru and fast food at that last minute to feed their families in a rush to get to the next scheduled event. The value and tradition of a home cooked meal has been replaced with a rushed, on the go and over committed family with a future of growing health concerns, childhood obesity being at the forefront.
I have many things in common with the average American family including a full- time career, two-parent working family with three children and many commitments. But because I understand and don’t want to give in to the 5 o’clock frenzy, I have made it my personal mission to make sure healthy home cooked family meals stay intact and a priority.
I am a Health Educator, Registered Nurse and Mom of three with an overwhelming passion for promoting health. I have worked with too many individuals who tell me that after years of raising a family and dedication to their career, that now it’s time to focus on their personal health! I am always intrigued by those situations. For me, my health is a priority not only personally but for my family as well. I know that by being a positive role model I am providing my family a solid health foundation for the future. I hope and believe that the healthy lifestyle behaviors I model each day to my family will help them understand the importance of their health and well being. By putting off your health until that “right time”, you are missing out on all the benefits that it has to offer. The truth is there is never a right or perfect time to focus on your health, the time is always now! Not after the kids are grown, or you have retired or after that vacation, but now! I admit this way of living is not always easy. In fact, it’s harder to live healthy in today’s culture than to succumb to the unhealthy temptations and examples around us.
We have to find the time to live, eat and shop healthy. It takes planning and precision, but it’s worth it. With the growing concern of health issues in our children, we need to be the healthy role models to look to for guidance. So make the commitment today to being a healthy role model for your family and take on a new, improved healthy lifestyle. Your children may not always seem pleased, but they will be better off for the healthy foundations you instill in them.
Many parents today question why their children skip breakfast. They ask, “why do they not enjoy exercising”? Why are they gaining weight? Well, first start by looking in the mirror. Do you eat breakfast? Do you engage in physical activity everyday and encourage your children to do the same? Do you struggle with your weight and health? If so, it is vital that you see the importance of your healthy actions and how they will support your family’s health.
Never give up, keep trying and take baby steps toward the healthy future of your dreams! You can do it!
If you enjoyed reading this article and want to learn more about raising a healthy happy family please visit Michelle Rowe’s blog: Always Healthy Mom
fantastic!
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