Wealth of Health

As the mother of three very active kiddos, I have found my own balance and health can become second, third, fourth or even fifth to all the schedules filling our family calendar.  There are some weeks we have one meal at home because we are at events all week. Yet, we have learned that dinner time is still important for our mental, emotional and physical health. So, even when we are on the go we make time to eat a quality, balanced meal as a family. There are days it is more challenging than others but overall it is well worth the planning and forethought. 

The trunk of the car is ready for the week with blankets, activities, and a cooler, which is refilled each day. Due to life-threatening allergens and the pursuit of a health, our family does not consume grains or added sugar (NSNG) products. This can make the picnic a bit more challenging because we have to plan further than a pack of crackers and sandwiches. Therefore, we are creative, and our bodies benefit from a little extra planning.

 We  used to think if we worked out five times a week ,in an anaerobic state (Zone 4-5), we would burn off the carefully counted calories we ate throughout the day. However, with very little evidence of the strain we were invoking on our bodies, we began to feel drained, pained and discouraged. So, after a little research, we started paying more attention to what we were eating, not the number of calories we were consuming. We bought heart rate monitors and started working out in Zone 2 (aerobic state). The decreasing numbers on the scale seemed to be tricking us until our eyes began to see the results too. However, it was the lack of fatigue, and strength we felt, which overpowered the numbers on the scale. We felt better. 

This week's grocery cart.

Now, we are a family happy to be "weird" when it comes to our lifestyle choices. We shop on the outside aisles and no longer feel the addicting pull for products that were once making us sick or feeds cancerous cells.  We still eat foods we love with modifications which make us feel better. Instead of spaghetti we make what our kids have coined, "spagragus." This is spaghetti with no added sugar and made with asparagus instead of noodles. The flavor is intensified and it is better for our bodies. 

We model the habits we want to see in our children. Therefore, as we eat our NSNG picnic meal at the three track meets, taekwondo dojo, and gymnastics studio this week, I know my kids will see that we care about their health, happiness and value our family time. We are not wealthy financially, but we are a wealth of health. After all, we want to be around for our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren as well. We know this means choosing to care for our own bodies and minds while we raise health conscious children too.