New Year’s wellness resolutions for the whole family
New Year’s resolutions are a great opportunity to recommit to your health and well-being. But many people struggle with accountability and fall off course as the months come and go.
This is one of the reasons setting resolutions as a family is a great idea. Children of all ages enjoy working toward a set goal, so resolutions can be a perfect addition to their routine. Here are a few tips for setting realistic resolutions that will help the entire family prioritize wellness in 2025.
• Keep resolutions age appropriate. A young child who is learning the concept of picking up toys after playing with them would benefit from a resolution to clean up at the end of every day. A teen could handle something more complex, like keeping track of spending with a budget.
• If someone in the family is a picky eater, consider expanding mealtime horizons. Each week, find a new or different food and work together to prepare it. This is a great way to get kids of all ages in the kitchen learning about and trying new foods. When children help choose and prepare food, they are far more likely to eat it.
• Commit to limiting sugary drinks and sticking to water, or set appropriate, personalized goals for water intake each day. Resolve to eating more fruits and vegetables at snack times and turning less often to processed foods. Meal plan and cook together if possible and opt for takeout or fast food on a less frequent basis.
• Physical activity is always more enjoyable with a buddy. Walk the family dog together, find new forest preserves to hike or a local pool to swim in. Talk with your child about what types of exercise they enjoy most and find ways to do that together.
• Prioritize spending intentional time together. Put down the phones and any other distractions and check in with your child. Make time for one-on-one and family activities to strengthen your bond and grow your child’s trust in you.
• Start small with resolutions and keep a list of goals that can be added when one is accomplished. Make it fun and link new goals to something your child is already doing as part of a routine. These things will make resolutions more achievable. Add in rewards like a fun trip, new board game to play or a visit to a museum when goals are completed.
Resolutions are also a great way to talk through what happens when we don’t achieve a goal. If things go off course, teach your child that it’s possible to pick back up where you left off and that taking a rest from something is perfectly OK.
Let them know these resolutions you created as a family are a way to consistently care for your mind and body and that it can take time to form habits. Setbacks and bumps in the road are all part of the process.
• Children's health is a continuing series. This column was provided by Advocate Children’s Hospital. Dr. Lori Walsh is the medical director of pediatric integrative medicine at Advocate Children’s Hospital.