How to take care of your family 12 tips that will improve your life

If you've made it this far, you probably have a family that you adore and want to take care of above all else, right? Without a doubt, the concern and love of parents for their children is incomparable to that of any other type of relationship. Therefore, from Enfemenino we want to offer you some tips that can help you take care of your family and yourself.

And we are not referring to a series of care that you have to give to your family, but to some healthy habits that adults must acquire so that the little ones also acquire them and, in this way, you take care of each other. You already know that example is key for your children to learn, so you must use it positively, ensuring that they observe beneficial acts in you. It's not about doing everything for them but rather giving them the tools they need to have a fuller life.

It is clear that there are many types of families and each one, depending on the lifestyle of its members, has needs, but there are some general tips that can benefit many and, of course, can be adapted. Take note and discover how to take care of your family!

1. Fruits, welcome home!

Many children (and adults too) find it difficult to eat fruit because of its texture, its flavor, or, simply, because they find chocolate bars or chips more appetizing. However, it is very important to introduce fruits and vegetables to take care of our health. It is best to eat the whole fruit, but if your children find it difficult to eat them, you can also choose to prepare a fruit smoothie. It is best to keep all the pulp to maintain all the properties of the fruit. Natural juices are suitable, but they should never replace the consumption of whole fruits, since part of the fruit's components are lost in these. And, of course, discard packaged juices, as they are ultra-processed and loaded with free sugars that are not beneficial to health. Go natural for you and your family!

2. Sport, better with the family

Computers, tablets, consoles... It is clear, the childhood of today's children has little to do with ours. However, we must prevent them from leading a sedentary life, making them acquire a taste for sports. How do you do that? First of all, you and your partner must be active people too, being their example and making family sports an adventure that they want. You can make fun plans like skiing or going to the pool, playing soccer or basketball, or simply dancing for a while at home. On the other hand, team sports where they make friends and interact with people their age are also a great idea for them to move without feeling obligated. In addition, this way you will help prevent childhood obesity in your little ones, one of the main concerns of many parents who seek support from medical professionals to combat it.

3. Promote reading in your family

When we talk about taking care of yourself and your family, we are not only referring to food or sports. Exercising their intellect to make them have their ideas, imagination, and tools to face life maturely is also an essential care that you should encourage. To do this, teach them to love reading. Whether in the form of an e-book or classic paper. Find some time a day for them to read, start with easier and more accessible readings, like Harry Potter or Manolito Gafotas or Little Nicolás and you will see how they quickly become hooked on the pleasure of reading. If your children are very young, adults should get into the habit of reading them stories before going to sleep. This way reading will always be part of your life and you will share more moments as a family.

Remember that reading allows us to expand our world, discover information about topics that interest us, travel to other places or times, and learn about different ways of life, making it a very beneficial activity. In addition, it also helps develop attention and communication skills, especially in children.

4. Cooking healthier

As we have already explained, having a good diet is an essential point for health care. The best thing is that you try to cook in the healthiest way possible. Do not abuse battered or breaded foods, nor cook a lot in the fryer or with high doses of oil. Nor should industrial pastries, fried foods, or sauces (especially mayonnaise and derivatives) be common in daily life, which can lead to some medical problems when children grow up. You must encourage them to eat a healthy diet from a young age and instill concern for their health from their first years of life.

Thus, instead of fried foods and industrial pastries, cook more on the grill and in the oven, where the food is cooked with its juice or with vegetables. This does not mean that you eliminate everything else from your diet, but rather that you find a balance between some things and others. Here we leave you some tips that can be very useful to achieve this:

• Make a shopping list, always giving priority to healthy food (vegetables, fruits, legumes, meat, fish...)
• Always go shopping with the list to buy more consciously and avoid unhealthy products
• Organize shopping as a family so that all members are involved in this household task.
• Plan the menu for every day of the week as a family, for example, on Sundays. This way you will organize yourself much better and
• Cook as a family whenever you can to make it more fun, you can also prepare many of the foods that you will eat during the week in a single day. This method is called batch cooking and it is very effective for eating better.
• Leave your indulgences for when you go out to eat at a restaurant, so you will have fewer unhealthy foods within your reach and the temptation will be less.

And another piece of advice: discover the cuisines of other countries together, since you will not only enjoy new flavors and textures but you will also learn about other cultures and expand your vision of the world.

Furthermore, according to a report from the Complutense University of Madrid, entitled Eating as a family: A Healthy and Rewarding Habit written by Beatriz Beltrán de Miguel and Carmen Cuadrado Vives from the Department of Nutrition and Bromatology: " Studies are beginning to indicate the possible association between frequency of family meals and the maintenance of a healthy body weight, which gives it special importance in the prevention of obesity. In this sense, the promotion of family and shared meals is already considered a public health strategy that "requires the implementation of specific prevention actions aimed at increasing the frequency and improving the quality of family meals. "

5. Less TV and more conversation

The fact that you live with other people or that you eat and dine together does not mean that you know each other in-depth if there is no effort on both sides. That is, it is essential to start important conversations with your family, ask them how they are, be interested in their feelings, make sure they feel good, and help them when they are worried about something. And also the other way around! A good idea for this is, for example, having lunch and dinner with the TV off, so that you can talk to each other about how your day went. In addition, this way you will pay much more attention to the act of eating and also to what each of the family members at the table says. Listening and paying attention is also a form of care for our loved ones.

6. Family getaways

Get into the habit of going on getaways with your family whenever you can. Spending a few days on the beach, in another country, or simply in a nearby city for a weekend will help you strengthen ties and feel more united. These types of trips are perfect for getting to know different places and expanding horizons, which is why they are especially beneficial for the little ones. Nothing like traveling to live experiences and learn about life. However, don't forget about couples' trips either, as they can be a very good way to take care of your relationship and strengthen it. It is very healthy that you also reserve exclusive time to be alone since caring for your partner has a direct impact on the family.

7. Positivity, the key to success

Another thing that both you and your family should strive for is to always see the glass half full. Positivity is something that is transmitted, and let's remember that children are like sponges, so they will learn to face life in a similar way to what they see at home. If you want them to grow up happy and self-confident, try to transmit joy to them and handle the problems that arise in their lives with optimism. It is not about ignoring negative emotions, but about having a positive attitude towards events, and understanding what happens to us is not as important as how we deal with it. Here are some great movie phrases that he will surely love for you to say to him. Learn a new one every week and don't forget about them!

8. Small healthy habits

To lead a healthier life, you probably don't need to drastically change your way of life. Start with small actions like the ones we propose below:

• Make the bed every morning
• Take a walk in the afternoon
• Take the stairs instead of taking the elevator
• Keep the house tidy
• Walk with your back straight
• Replace salt with spices
• Eat and drink consciously, paying attention
• Breathe deeply every night before going to sleep
• Put down your cell phone when you spend time with your family

They are small changes but they will make a big difference and since they are simple it won't cost you so much to include them in your routines.

9. Hug your family and be affectionate

It is proven that hugs help reduce anxiety and, there is no doubt, that they also make us feel very good. Don't forget to give your family a big hug every day. Some children (and also many adults) are not fond of kissing and hugging but, even if they don't tell you, they surely appreciate your expressions of affection. Of course, we are not talking about overwhelming others with hugs, but about showing what you feel, especially in those moments when the other person needs you. It's about getting to know our loved ones well and showing them that we are there, perhaps one of your children needs a hug and your sister simply needs you to listen to her carefully. Affection can be shown in many ways!

We also want you to remember how important it is to help and love others as well as to let yourself be loved and helped. We all need affection from those we love, so don't limit yourself to giving and allow yourself to receive that affection when you need it.

10. Learning every day

You know the saying "You'll never go to bed without learning something new"? Well, make it real! Learn something together every day. Don't let school or college be your children's only window to the world. Challenge yourselves to each day one family member must explain something new they have learned to the rest. This way you will get your children (and also your partner and you) to learn new things in a fun way. We leave it to your choice, but a good tip is to let everyone investigate and discover new things on topics that interest them and that they like, because this way you will enjoy it more and it will also be noticed when the person has to tell the rest. This will also help increase your loved ones' self-confidence and curiosity. In addition, it is a very effective way to add a different touch to each day and, in this way, escape the dreaded routine.

11. Light family dinners

Finally, we advise you to be ruthless at this point. Dinners should be light to promote good sleep and avoid being overweight. It's okay if we treat ourselves from time to time and have a pizza or a hamburger for dinner, but it's better to save those types of dishes for lunch or special occasions.
At dinner, it is much healthier to have a salad, some vegetables or fruit, a little fish, a French omelet, or some grilled chicken or turkey. It may not be as fun as some chips, but it is key to improving the quality of your sleep.

It is also important to establish a schedule that leaves you at least an hour between dinner and bedtime. Furthermore, if dinners can be with the family, much better, since ending the day with the people you love and sharing how the day went can be very therapeutic. You will surely notice the difference.

12. Organization of household tasks

Yes, in a house there is a long list of tasks to do. For harmony to reign and the well-being of all family members to be greater, organization is essential. It doesn't matter how many members there are in the family and whether there are children or not, the important thing is that you are all clear about the tasks that need to be done and which ones each person performs and at what time. The simplest thing is for each member of the family to do what they like most or feel least lazy about, and if there is a task that no one wants, it is best to take turns. One way for everyone to be clear is to create a specific calendar, whether physical or digital. You will surely notice the difference and make your house become a real home.

What do you think of these tips? As you can see, taking care of your family and yourself is not complicated, it is about betting on healthy habits and enriching activities for yourself. Care that is within your reach and that can significantly improve your daily life. In the end, it is a lifestyle in which you will all become caregivers for each other, as each member of the family will contribute something to the others.