New Year’s resolutions often focus on individual goals, such as losing weight, eating less junk food, or reducing debt. This year, why not set some New Year’s resolutions as a family. Of course, this will require some discussion, as you will want to agree on goals to shoot for. After all, your loved ones are far less likely to work towards a goal if they have no say in it. Go ahead and start a conversation about areas to improve as a family. Here are some ideas to get you started:
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Eat healthy: Don’t focus so much on losing weight for your New Year’s resolution. Instead, resolve to eat more healthy foods. This goal can have weight loss as a healthy side effect. For example, your family may resolve to eat more fresh vegetables during the week, to add another serving of fruit to each day’s intake, or to make healthier choices at fast food restaurants (chicken wraps instead of mayo-slathered burgers!). If you’re looking for more drastic change, cut out fast food, processed food, or soda altogether!
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Get moving: It can be difficult to get started with and stick to an individual fitness plan, so why not use a group effort to make getting active more fun? Resolve to work physical activity in on a regular basis. This can include things like biking, playing tennis, playing basketball, or swimming together. You can head to an outdoor or indoor track to walk and jog or set up family games of soccer or basketball. Keep in mind that your family fitness plans needn’t be elaborate at all. Even taking a short walk after dinner each night can help improve your family’s overall fitness.
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Go low-tech: Adults and kids alike love techy fun. From smartphones and tablets to laptops and flat-screen TVs, we’re all in. But these things can get in the way of engaging as a family. Go ahead and turn them off for a game night each week or make some time to prepare a special meal together once a week. Encourage more reading by setting a good example. Let your kids see you curled up with a good book more often. Maybe even create a family book club. Pick a book together, have each family member read it, and then, let the discussion begin!
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Save for family fun: As parents, we understand the need to save and budget, but it’s no fun when the kids just don’t seem to get it. Get your teen involved by sharing your budget and the reasons saving is so important. Then set another savings goal–one that’s fun for the whole family. For example, if you and your family resolve to avoid fast food or buying lattes for several months, the dollars you save could fund a mini-vacation.
Of course making a New Year’s resolution is the easy part. It’s keeping the resolution that’s hard. The good news is keeping a resolution is easier if you’re not doing it alone. Go ahead and get the whole family involved. Then come back and share your New Year’s resolutions with us!
