If you have a family, one of your top priorities will be making sure you help them to stay healthy and happy. But how can you do that in the uncertain world that we all live in? Below, you’ll find 12 ways you can safe guard the health of your family. Take a look and see what you can do to make a difference to the lives of those you love: 

1. Get Health Insurance 

Start by getting health insurance. It’s so simple to do, and providing you find a policy that suits you and your lifestyle, you’ll be able to protect your family. The last thing you want to do is leave them behind without anything to help them out, should something happen to you. It’s not the most pleasant of situations to think about, but if you plan for it and get insurance now you’ll barely need to think about it again. 

2. Be Active As A Family 

When you can be active as a family, you’ll find it so much easier to get and stay healthy. When you’re active as a family, you make exercise fun. You’ll probably have so much fun that it won’t even feel like exercise! However, you’ll show your family how great exercise is and why they should be doing it, instilling healthy habits into them in the long run. You can go on hikes, bike rides, and even do things like roller skating – just have fun together and see it as a bonding exercise. 

3. Stay On Top Of Your Health Appointments 

Make sure you stay on top of the health appointments of your family. Stay up to date with your eye appointments and dental appointments, and consider getting your prescriptions online from an online doctor if that would make your lives easier. Just don’t skip appointments and you’ll be able to keep your family healthy and ensure they have everything they need – whether that’s a filling or a new pair of glasses. 

4. Take The Taboo Out Of Mental Health

Don’t just focus on your family’s physical health. Focus on your mental health, too. Taking the taboo out of mental health is so important. People can struggle with their mental health for a variety of reasons, and sometimes those reasons aren’t obvious. Making sure you can all talk about these things will create a healthier family culture and ensure your kids know that they shouldn’t feel shame for struggling. There are so many misconceptions out there when it comes to mental health, so make sure you’re not perpetuating and encouraging them in your family.

5. Make Sure Your Home Is Safe

Making sure your home is safe can take some time, so pick the most important things and go from there. For example, things like outside lighting and CCTV can help to deter intruders from your home immediately. You can also:

• Get rid of trees, shrubs, and anything else that could allow an intruder to hide. 
• Reinforce your windows and doors to ensure they are safe from intruders.
• Change the locks. 
• Get down to your kid’s level and make sure it’s childproof- are sharp corners covered? Have you covered the plug sockets? 
• Get a dog – or if you can’t afford one/don’t have the time for one, put up a sign that says you have a dog. Studies show that it can be just as good of a deterrent. 

6. Pay Attention To The Behaviour You’re Modeling 

You should know that everything you do is modelling behaviour to your kids. If you talk badly about yourself, you’re modeling that behaviour. If you work too much and don’t rest, you’re modeling that behaviour. Make sure you model the behaviour that you’d like your kids to pick up on. Whether they show it or not, they are picking up on it. You can tell them until you’re blue in the face not to do something, but if you’re showing them with your own behaviour that it’s fine to do, they are going to do it. 

7. Make Balanced Meals 

Balanced meals for your family ensure you’re all getting plenty of fruit and veg and other nutrients each day. It can be tough to make balanced meals each day, so use the following pointers: 

• Prep veg in advance. As soon as you buy your veg and get it home, wash it and chop it. You can then just grab what you need when you’re cooking. 
• Set a few hours aside on a day each week when you’re free and make some meals to freeze. This way, you can avoid buying take out and just grab meals out of the freezer instead. 
• Stick to the same sort of meal plan each week so you can save time buying and preparing food. You can change it with the seasons, but you’ll find it much easier this way. 

8. Eat At Least One Meal Together Per Day

You’d be surprised at the benefits that eating one meal together per day can have on your family. Eating just one meal together each day can help your kids to do better in school, encourage them to avoid peer pressure, avoid bad habits like smoking, and so much more. You don’t even need to talk about these things at the table – they are just side effects of spending quality time together like this as a family. Take a look at some more of the benefits of this here. 

9. Be Careful With Your Language

The words and phrases you choose can truly make a difference to the people around you. Make sure you’re careful with your language. Don’t lose your temper and scream at your kids, or you can expect similar behavior from them later on. Keeping your cool and explaining why they have behaved poorly is so much more effective. You should also know how to praise your kids effectively. Remember to praise their efforts, and not just the results – and don’t just reward them with food. Using the right kind of language can help them so much in the long run. Using the wrong kind can create perfectionists that are reluctant to try anything new through fear of failure.  

10. Limit Screen Time 

Limiting screen time is best for your families mental and physical health. Allowing them too much time on a screen could stop them from spending enough time in the great outdoors. Not only that, they could end up forgetting what is truly important. Screen time can be addictive, but living a life away from the screen is so important. Make sure you have clear rules around screen time so that your family is healthy and happy with other hobbies.

11. Encourage Hobbies 

Encouraging your family to have hobbies is crucial, too. Ask your kids what they are interested in and allow them to try things out until they find something they’d like to stick to. They might want to dance, paint, play a sport, or do something a bit unusual. Try to humor them, and remember, this isn’t about you living your life vicariously through them. Let them follow their own interests and passions. 

12. Protect Your Skin

Protecting your skin might not sound that important, but the sun can be more harmful than you think – even during winter. Apply SPF each day and get your family into the habit, too. This will protect from cancer, damage, and other issues that come with unprotected skin. 

Are you ready to safeguard your family with the information here? Leave your own thoughts and advice below!