According to Parade Magazine, six of the top ten resolutions made every year are for health, so you are not alone in wanting a healthier lifestyle! Over 100 million Americans make the same commitment.
The first step? Make it easy on yourself and just start.
Seek to feel a little healthier, look a little better and put a bit of a spring in your step. This is easier to achieve and will set you on a path to continued success.
Here are six easy hacks to improve your well being. Making these changes can give you the energy and the ability you need to be the best Dad you can. Here’s to the health of you and your kiddos!
Six Easy Hacks to Be a Healthier Dad
1
Swap All Your Drinks for Water
Recent studies suggest that swapping all your drinks for water can make huge differences to your energy levels, your weight loss and even your mental focus. The reason for this is not only that you’ll be putting fewer empty calories into your body, but also that you’ll be increasing your metabolism to burn fat at a faster and more efficient rate.
If you want more info, consider this article from Healthline.
2
Get More Sleep
What could be easier than lying in bed longer? Okay, that’s not exactly how it works for busy Dads, but stay with us here for just a moment.
Proper sleep is one of the very best ways to burn more calories. Adequate rest will also help you wake up more refreshed and rejuvenated, ready for your adventures as a Dad!
The earlier you can go to bed, the more restful, non-REM sleep you will have. Yes, that downtime after your kids go to sleep is great – and studies recommend going to bed as early as you can.
Check out this Time Magazine article for more info.
3
Walk More
You can burn a huge number of additional calories by walking to and from work, or just getting off your bus a stop later. This will not only burn calories but also help you to increase your physical fitness and to improve your resting heart rate. A lower resting heart rate means that you’ll feel calmer and less stressed and will reduce your chances of developing heart disease and other serious issues.
Even standing and walking around for 20 minutes can make a giant difference in your health. Do it with your kids and make a game of it!
This NPR article shares even more details of how this works for your health.
4
Meditate
The stresses of being a Rad Dad can make us anxious, tense, and worried. Finances, parenting time, how to handle snow days and “early release” days are difficult. The compound of this can result in health issues for us and decision making that can be flawed.
The good news? Just 5-10 minutes of basic meditation has proven health benefits. Letting go of everything for a short time, practicing deep relaxed breathing, and being open to positive outcomes (at least as a possibility) is an amazing boost to your health!
This Mayo Clinic article gives you more details on how to accomplish this.
5
Try Microgreens
This one is fun and can even involve you growing these with your kids. Microgreens are seedlings of vegetables, and studies have shown them to have up to 40x the nutrient load of conventional vegetables. So, a small handful of microgreens can be the same as many pounds of broccoli.
What’s better, kids love them, and they taste great. While most grocery stores have these now, you can grow them easily (inside or out) and enjoy them. You may also find a local urban farmer who grows them (check Google and Facebook).
Check out this Medical News Today article for more details.
6
Empathy
Listen to what your kids say – sad, happy or whatever – and let them know you heard and understood them. For example, if your kiddos say they are sad because someone didn’t sit with them at lunch, say something like “Wow, I could understand how that would be hard. Did that make you sad or angry?” In addition to helping you and your kid connect, and experience calm, these models coping skills for your kid.
Dads who do this regularly have told us that they find themselves calming down too. As natural do-ers, we often want to fix things or take action. With feelings of our kids, the best action to take is to actively listen, understand, and echo back to them so they know you got it.
You can learn about the evidence-based approach from Think: Kids here.
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Previously published on Raddadrules.com.
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