I think all of us as moms want to have a healthier family. That is one of our major goals in life. I know that I feel awful when one of my boys is sick. And I do not want to be the one that gets my kiddos sick. So I have some steps for you to follow to have a healthier family. And a healthier family starts with you as the mama! Your family might not do what you tell them to do, but they will follow your lead and example.
1. Drink The Water
As my favorite author and motivational speaker says, “Drink the Stupid Water!” Yes you need to drink the water, every single day. And this is not just a little bit of water. A good place to start is to drink half of your body weight in ounces of water daily. Of course, do not go from drinking no water all day to drinking all the water. Each day just drink a few more ounces until you get up to half your body weight in ounces of water daily.
Here is an awesome water bottle that I love using!
Now, I drink a hundred ounces of water a day. But it took me a bit to get up to that. But now I can not drink less. Also, if you are going to start drinking the water, a good tip is to have some water by your bed so you have water to drink in the morning. You sleep all night with no water, so you need to get hydrated right away in the morning. Also, it helps you wake up. And if you put flavor in your water, this is just fine. But this doesn’t count towards your water intake. Water you count as your daily consumption, needs to be water that a fish can swim in. So no flavoring.
Also, there are so many benefits to drinking water that include a healthier family. Good for the skin, great for energy, helps with metabolism, helps flush the kidneys. AND when you drink water daily, your kids will watch you and also drink water daily. My boys have always seen me drink water and now water is their go-to drink daily also!
2. All The Hand Washing
I think this goes without saying. But a big step to keeping your family healthy is to do the hand washing! Every time we go out, when we get home, we wash our hands. And of course all the normal times for hand washing, do those! Like before eating and after the bathroom. And I don’t mean just the one splash under the running water. We need all out with soap. And scrubbing between the fingers and up to the wrists.
My son sings the happy birthday song while he is washing his hands. Just to make sure he washes for the whole recommended 20 seconds. I don’t care what song you and your kids use, as long as it is at least 20 seconds. Also, please lead by example. If your kids see you washing your hands very thoroughly, then they will follow and do the same thing.
3. Use The Essential Oils
Of course I need to chat about essential oils when talking about a healthier family because, if you use pure and high quality essential oils, you can boost your immune system. My family uses essential oils all the time, and I believe it keeps us healthy.
The big oil you need to use is protective blend. I love this stuff. The essential oil company I use has all kinds of soap, hand sanitizer, cleaner, and roller ball bottles that have protective blend in them. So you get this oil in numerous ways. I make sure that my boys get protective blend on the bottom of their feet everyday before they go anywhere. I also put protective blend in their diffusers every night.
Then I always clean and do laundry with protective blend. Just to boost that immune support throughout the house. I use it for all the things. I just feel like this helps me take a natural step to a healthier family!
There are also other essential oils that help to keep your family healthy. Such as oregano, tea tree (melaleuca) and frankincense. If you go to my post on oils for fall, you will see other oils to help you stay healthy, and smell like pumpkin spice, just as a bonus.
4. Eating Healthy for a Healthier Family
Just eating a little bit healthier and a little bit cleaner, will help you out a lot. Because your gut has so much control over how healthy you are. So if you have a healthy gut, you have healthier immune system. Which is pretty darn interesting. I do not eat much processed sugar (I eat natural sugar, like fruit) because when you eat sugar, it can suppress your immune system for twelve hours after eating it.
So, I just started eating more healthy, and my family has noticed. I am leading by example. Because it is better to just do it instead of telling my family they HAVE to eat healthy. Because they for sure are not going to do it if I tell them. But since I am doing it, and buying healthier food they are more prone to follow my lead.
And I am not a perfect healthy eater. I am just trying to make me, and my family, a little bit healthier. I do not eat much processed sugar, I try to eat more protein, and I eat more vegetables. I think that is all I am doing right now. Yes, it isn’t all the things I could be doing, but it is some of the things, which is better than doing nothing.
5. Move Your Body
We all need to move our bodies every day! Everyone from my husband and I, down to the kiddos. I do not have little, little kids anymore, but they can move their body too if you have the little guys. Sometimes you just have to change your body physiologically. Meaning, to get out of a funk and just to be healthier, you need to move your body.
Our favorite activities as a family are running and dancing. My boys love to swim. My husband and I aren’t as big of swimmers. But if you are not up for these activities yet, just go for a walk. Try to find some way to move that body daily so you can move to a healthier family.
These are five natural important steps for a healthier family. Not everything, but if you start following these steps, you are well on your way to that healthier family!
Vanessa is a Doctor of Pharmacy who champions natural health. She lives with her husband of 18 years as well as her 12 & 15 year old sons. She aspires to encourage moms on their journey to family wellness through holistic health and essential oils.
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