Healthy New Year’s Resolutions for You and Your Family

A new year brings a new beginning – 2016 is the year to join in on the fun and get active! We are busy setting all sorts of goals and resolutions for our team and youth programs for the year ahead. During the process we thought we would share some of our favorite resolutions from The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) list to help children of all ages begin the year on the right foot. Here are a few of our favorites:

5-12 Years Old

• Find a favorite sport. “I will try to find a sport (like basketball or soccer) or an activity (like playing tag, jumping rope, dancing or riding my bike) that I like and do it at least three times a week!” You may also like: 3 Simple Goals that Lead to a Successful Basketball Season
• Better beverages. “I will drink water every day, and drink soda and fruit drinks only at special times.”
• Put safety first. “I will always wear a helmet when riding a bike, scooter or skateboard.”
• Promote positivity. “I’ll be friendly to kids who may have a hard time making friends by asking them to join activities such as sports or games.”

13 Years Old and Older

• Eat healthy. “I will try to eat two servings of fruit and two servings of vegetables every day, and I will drink sodas only at special times.”
• Improve self. “I will take care of my body through physical activity and eating the right types and amounts of foods.”
• Lend a helping hand. “I will help out in my community – through giving some of my time to help others, working with community groups or by joining a group that helps people in need.”
• Reduce stress. “When I feel angry or stressed out, I will take a break and find helpful ways to deal with the stress, such as exercising, reading, writing in a journal or talking about my problem with a parent or friend.”

Parents have New Year’s Resolutions too! Whether it be for themselves or the whole family, everyone can benefit from making overall healthier lifestyle choices. Here are realistic resolutions for parents and families from Kids in the Game:

• Pick up a hobby. Hobbies can boost brain power, reduce stress levels and improve your ability to focus. Active hobbies also keep you in shape! Living in New York City poses spatial challenges which makes it hard to keep moving, especially during these cold winter months. There are programs offered for adults and children in indoor sports such as basketball clinics and soccer trainings. Parents can also try yoga, biking, dancing or bowling as a way to stay active while having fun.
• Make your hobby a habit. It is known that repeated actions take 66 days to become a habit. Try to keep up your new hobby for 3 months for it to become a regular part of your schedule and make the habit feel automatic. Certain habits are formed in a shorter amount of time, such as resolving to drink a glass of water after breakfast every day, while others are trickier, such as doing 50 push-ups. Some habits can be formed by continuously improving a skill. Should you choose to take up a sport as your hobby, it is important to develop the right skills to turn recreational playing into automatic performance.
• Volunteer. Offering time to improve the community won’t just benefit those around you, but will also benefit you. You can find friends, learn new skills, advance your career and increase your self-esteem. If you want to volunteer with Kids in the Game, shoot us an email!
• Enjoy the little things. Life moves so quickly, sometimes we forget to appreciate the “here and now” – especially with our loved ones. Make it a goal to celebrate life every day with your family by exercising together, playing games that don’t involve technology or simply having dinner together once a week.

Wishing you and your family a happy and healthy New Year from Kids in the Game!