Affordable Ways to Keep Your Family Healthy This School Year

Whether you’re sending your kids off to their first day of kindergarten or watching them start the new world of high school, staying healthy is an essential part of making their year successful. It’s no secret that staying healthy in crowded classrooms can be challenging. Fortunately, there are lots of simple and affordable practices you can include in your day to make sure you and your family are as healthy as possible.

Keep Your Family Moving

A simple yet effective way to stay healthy is to get active with your family. Not only is this creating quality time you can all spend together, but it also promotes a healthy lifestyle for each of you. Whether you and your family enjoy taking hikes, playing in leaves, throwing a ball, or even just walking around your community park, getting outside will contribute to a happy body and mind.

With younger children, you may want to keep things interesting, so they are excited about their active time of day. Kids need at least 60 minutes of activity per day. Before school, schedule some morning stretches or start an exciting dance party to lift their spirits before a long day.

Chores count as an activity too! Encourage your kids to clean their rooms, help wash the car, or rake the leaves. These activities won’t just get them moving, but will also help you out at the end of the day. You can turn downtime into small active competitions. While watching TV, use the commercial time for jumping jacks or push-up competitions. Making it competitive could spark some extra excitement for them to be involved.

Eat Nutritious Foods

In our fast-paced lives, we always want to reach for the quickest options when choosing food choices. The good news is, there are plenty of options that are not only quick but affordable and healthy.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends you stick to a 2,000-calorie diet per day for adults and around 1,400 to 1,800 calories per day for children. When making conscious choices such as eating lots of whole foods, this range can be easily met.

Although certain healthy foods may be out of the budget, there are lots of alternatives that will save you money and time. Fresh produce is normally marked at a higher price than frozen vegetables or fruits. But just because they’re frozen doesn’t make them any less delicious and beneficial for you. You can often pop the bag of frozen veggies in the microwave. After three minutes, you get a no-effort side of greens with your meal.

Keep Your Hands Clean

As you go through your day, the amount of surfaces touched is uncountable. Keeping your hands clean is one of the best ways to ensure there is a minimal spread of gems from you to your family. Keeping hand sanitizer in your bag is a simple way to ensure you stay clean while you and your family are on the go.

Make sure you and your family wash your hands before eating, touching your face and visiting someone sick. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends five steps to thoroughly clean your hands to stop germs from spreading:

Wet your hands with water.
Apply soap and rub your hands together, including in between your fingers, under the nails, and on the backs of your palms.
Scrubs for 20 seconds or more.
Rinse your hands.
Dry your hands with a towel or dryer.

Sometimes washing your hands can seem like a chore to your children. Adding some fun will make it a more enjoyable experience for you both. Singing the “Happy Birthday” song two times will not only make it more enjoyable but also reach the CDC recommendations for how long you should be washing your hands.

Get Lots of Sleep

Quite often, sleep gets pushed to the back burner when we think about health. But sleep is just as important as exercise, food, and water.

Another plus to sleep is that it’s absolutely free in exchange for your time. The National Sleep Foundation recommends getting between seven and nine hours of sleep for adults and nine to 11 for school-aged children per night. If these ranges can’t be met, 15-minute naps throughout the day could help compensate for the lost time.

Studies have shown that people who sleep outside their recommended range show signs of more serious health problems and could be compromising their health and well-being. In fact, according to this emergency dentist San Diego, continuous sleep deprivation can cause gum diseases. When you sleep, your body gives your immune system rest to fight off whatever comes its way.

To be sure you get the proper rest, try creating a routine for you and your family to follow. You can all put your phones away to start shutting down for the night, then get into bed around the same time. Your mind and body will get used to this specific habit, making it easier to get the ideal amount of sleep.

Practice for Your Healthiest Year

Exercise, nutrition, hygiene, and sleep are the key elements for an affordable and healthy school year. If you and your family apply these routines and habits, you’ll be energized to tackle anything the school year throws at you!