I’m a big believer in habit stacking, making tiny changes, and really focusing on the 80/20 rule for our health. I think small, incremental lifestyle changes can produce positive and impactful results long term. In fact, most of the time, I find that when I make minor improvements in our family’s lifestyle, it creates a ripple effect.
Plus, for our family; committing to a handful of simple wellness goals feels more way more realistic and doable in the hustle and bustle of our daily life. Once I can implement one tiny change and I’m successful–I then pick another tiny change to implement. This way I’m not trying to completely overhaul our lives all at once!
Check out the 10 small things our little fam is doing to improve our health this year:
Switched to Raw Milk
Hear me out…..raw milk is the jam. Raw milk is simply that, milk that has not been pasteurized. It’s simply filtered, chilled, tested, and bottled. Nothing added or taken away. Raw milk is one of the easiest foods to digest. Your body knows EXACTLY how to digest it and will consume it quickly. When you drink unprocessed, raw milk your body will thrive and only react through complete digestion. This complete food will give your body the much-needed vital nutrition it needs to become strong and healthy. Enzymes, probiotics, healthy fats, proteins, vitamins, and calcium are just some of the noted essential nutrients found of plenty in whole raw milk.
As a family, we’ve essentially decided to listen to our gut (pun intended) and make conscious choices to remove highly processed foods from our diets–starting with the oat, almond, and soy milk.
We get ours from a local farming co-op we joined and part of me is also thrilled that we are supporting a small farm. Little changes make a big impact.
Incorporate Daily Walks
We very much are an active family. We go to the gym daily, Callie does archery on the weekends and we have a dog that needs multiple daily walks. This new simple habit was an easy integration into our lives–the family walk. We leash up Jack and explore different parts of our neighborhood, ideally after we eat dinner. Walking can support your digestion, be a sneaky way to get some Vitamin D, and improve your family’s mental health.
Implement Screen Time Breaks
It may feel virtually impossible for all of your family members to be screen-free for 24 hours. But realistically, you can take a break from your phone which can be beneficial (short and long-term). For us, phones get put down at 7PM at night (I’m forever breaking this rule but really working on it) which gives us time for more family convos and connected time together. We’ve dedicated Sundays as phone free days and I find, we feel more at ease, have more patience for the slowness of our day, and are overall more in tune with each other. Pro Tip: Start small with just 30 minutes and increase it over time.
Plan Out Weekly Meals
If I don’t plan out our meals, I end up making absolutely not-so-healthy choices because I am exhausted, stressed, hungry, and frankly overwhelmed from managing all my other mama responsibilities. I make a point to take time over the weekend to plan out our menu for the week so I can be intentional in what healthy options we will be having. It gives me the opportunity to see what ingredients I need to order from the farming co-op we are a part of, what I need to pick up at the grocery store, plus it calls out which items are running low in the pantry. This removes the frantic rush-to-the-supermarket situation or ordering a pizza because I don’t have many easy options in the fridge. It also helps if you have picky eaters–you are better equipped with a plan and a strategy for the weeks that they only want to eat chicken nuggets and corn on the cob.
Family Quiet Time
Quiet time has been a game changer in our house. We try to allot 20 minutes of our day several times a week for all of us to take time to be quiet, reflect, and rest without any distractions. The time that works best for us is right when Callie gets home from school. We take about 30 minutes just for her to chill, decompress, and eat a small snack. She needs that time to rest, recharge, and replenish after her long day at school. Full transparency? I also need that time to recharge after a hectic day at work. We either read, take a quick power nap, lay on the floor with Jack, or
Started a Supplement Stack
Implementing a supplement routine for all three of us has been vital to our well-being. I also think modeling prioritizing your health early on for your kids can build self-esteem, body positivity, and foundational health habits. We each have our own supplement “stack” and are very aware of how our needs change as our bodies change/adapt. Our favorite company is Cymbiotika and you can try them out via our link:
Favorite Supplements: Cymbiotika
Increased Water Intake
Our family has made a promise to increase our overall water intake, so we are each making a goal to drink half our body weight in ounces of water a day. I bought us some cute water bottles and have also incorporated some electrolyte powders or cut up fruit to add some flavor to the water when the taste of plain water gets boring. Water used to be an afterthought and now I make sure it’s the first thing we drink in the AM to hydrate after sleeping.
Wear Sunscreen and Protective Sun Gear
I’m happier when I’m tan but I do know that sun protection is vital to our health. We’ve made it a practice to be fully protected with sunscreen and a hat when we are outdoors. I know it’s not cute or sexy to wear a giant sun hat, but my skin (and more importantly, Callie’s skin!) will thank me years from now.
Limiting Sugar
Sugar is terrible y’all. We have made a conscious effort to cut back on the amount of sugar that we eat as a family. We limit desserts to 1-2x a week, have switched over to natural sweeteners like monk fruit and local honey where we can. I’m appalled when I read food labels and can find crazy amounts of sugar in things that I would not expect (hello spaghetti sauce).
Planning Family Adventure Days
Planning a family day in advance gives you something to look forward to and helps break up the monotony that is sometimes present in parenthood. I think this also helps us model the importance of work-life balance for Callie and demonstrates our commitment to our family quality time. Every time we go on a day trip/mini adventure, I feel invigorated (but still exhausted—hello, motherhood!) and inspired. Taking a break is good for the body and soul!
What’s one small healthy hack that you can implement this year? Drop it in the comments for us so the whole community can cheer you on!
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