5 Fit-Family Tips

Family Health, Featured Article, Fitness, Healthy Living
on September 1, 2012
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Put your heads together. The Reids each contribute a few healthy suggestions for meals each week, and then help prepare their choices. Not only does their system take some of the burden off Mom, it ensures variety and fresh ideas.

Go slowly. Make over your favorite family recipes gradually, substituting one healthy ingredient at a time. For instance, on taco night, swap ground turkey for ground beef this week; the next, use whole wheat tortillas instead of flour. Small changes over time will give everyone’s tastebuds a chance to adjust.

Make any movement count. When the project started, Marshall was intimidated by traditional fitness activities, like sports or biking. So mom Alex encouraged him to come up with his own ideas for outdoor exercise, like building a Slip ’N Slide-like contraption in the backyard.

Be nosy. Don’t have an organic grocer or a robust farmers’ market in town? Ask your grocery store chains where they get their produce, and shop where fruits and veggies come from the sources nearest you.

Rethink meals. On the road for their book tour, the Reids have had to get creative. One new habit is assembling a meal out of leftovers and snacks. Instead of meat and two sides, for example, they’ll have fruit, cheese, nuts and a bit of cold salad or leftover vegetables.