Make Hearing Loss More Manageable during Family Health and Fitness Day

June 12 is designated as Family Health and Fitness Day.  As mentioned in our blog, in addition to making hearing healthcare a priority in your life, your overall health is also as important and can impact your hearing. Keeping yourself physically active and healthy can help reduce the risks of common health problems, and make chronic conditions like hearing loss more manageable. Healthy blood cells help pump your blood throughout the entire body so that it can function properly. This includes your ears.   

Fitness and nutrition are challenging to maintain as an individual, and most parents know how difficult it is to deal with picky eaters, each family member’s schedule, and sometimes working overtime. It’s all very exhausting! 

Families Should Prioritize Health and Fitness Together

Have a little family meeting and come up with a plan together, commit to that plan together by holding each other accountable, do them together, and support each other along the way. 

The more involvement you have in your family’s well-being, the healthier they will be.

8 Tips to Stay Fit with Your Family    

1. During the family meeting, make sure everyone participates and gives their input. You may come up with your own plan, or hire a professional trainer to help you get started and guide you. 
2. Designate a time to work out together. They can be simple workouts like walking/hiking outdoors. The more you practice this, the easier it will be.  
3. Discuss incorporating healthier diets and eating habits. Making small changes each week can make a big difference. 
4. The most important tip is to support and respect each other while making it fun for everyone. 
5. Be active together each day, or as often as possible. During this time, commit to blocking off time that works for everyone every day. Be realistic and understand that schedules conflict. You can simply have a short 20 to 30-minute routine. On days when it’s impossible to work out together, use fitness trackers to hold each other accountable. Turn it into a fun game. You can see who’s taken the most steps, or add them all together and create a monthly goal. The family can get a reward if the goal was met.
6. Change up your exercise routine: Try swimming, playing ball, walking the dog together (if you have one), going biking, following along with a workout on YouTube or a DVD, or even bodyweight exercises (squats, push-ups, lunges, calf raises, crunches, jumping jacks, etc.)
7. Plan your meals together. Proper nutrition is just as important as fitness. Write out a menu each week. Each meal should be one part fat, two parts protein, and three parts carbohydrates for every meal. Check with your child’s school to make sure they are getting a meal that is well-balanced. You can also pack their lunches or make a request for more nutritional meals. Studies show that families who eat meals with each other promote healthy conversations, and are closer to their normal weight. They also have better overall diets and eating habits than families who do not eat many meals together.
8. Make family goals and keep them. Setting specific goals that are achievable is crucial to making any positive impact. Discuss goals that your family members want to achieve individually, and then make some for everyone. Make a calendar, use a chart, keep progress, and mark achievements with stickers. This should help keep your family members accountable so that all of you can stay on track towards a healthier lifestyle. 

What are you waiting for? Get moving! 

Contact us at Pure Sound Hearing if you or anyone in your family is experiencing hearing loss and needs a hearing test.  

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