Healthy Family, Happy Family

It can feel like a lot of work to keep the family home running smoothly. Between busy schedules, work, school, and trying to keep active – there’s a lot to do. But don’t worry, we have tips galore to make things easier to help your family be healthy and happy!

Eating well

We all know the importance of planning and eating a healthy diet. But it can be hard to do when life gets busy. Here are some simple ways to provide healthy food for your family:

Planning a Healthy Diet

Meal planning makes it easier to eat well. Write down the meals you want to have that week, and then check which ingredients you’ll need to see what you’ll need to purchase. You’ll save money by shopping for only the food you need, waste less food, and it’ll make your week much less stressful. And remember, you don’t have to cook everything from scratch. You can use this plan to decide which days are take-out or use ready-made frozen meals.

If you’re having trouble thinking of which meals to make, some people find it helpful to have a theme for each day of the week. For instance, Monday can be pasta night. And everyone loves Taco Tuesday! Wednesday can be for stir fry, Thursday soup and sandwiches, and Friday is all about pizza. Saturday is for take-out and Sunday is for trying a new recipe. This is just one example – feel free to customize it to what you and your family love to eat and to fit your busy schedule.

Add Fruit and Veggies

In general, adding more fruits and vegetables to your day is a wonderful way to add a lot of nutrition to your and your family’s diet. Fruits and vegetables are filled with nutrients, and fiber can help your microbiome. Easily add more fruits and vegetables to your day by adding them as a side dish to your favorite meals. Roasting makes most vegetables taste fantastic, while many fruits are enhanced by a squeeze of lime or lemon juice. Try out new-to-you produce as a family taste test and search for recipes that use the new food.

Focus on Fiber

Fiber is the undigestible part of the plant foods you eat and has an important role in digestive health.* Fiber helps to move food through your digestive tract. Choosing foods high in fiber like fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds, helps you get the fiber that you need every day. vitafusion Fiber Well and Fiber Well Fit, are great options to help increase your fiber intake and supplement your diet!

Moving well

Another critical component of health for you and your family is to get your bodies moving throughout your day. Physical activity does not have to be planned exercise. While going to the gym or working out may be a great way to add physical activity, there are also lots of other ways to be active as well!

Family fun

Bodies are designed to be active. Adding daily movement to your family’s day is an important part of overall health, both physically and mentally. If you have young children, you have probably noticed they are bursting with energy! Here are tips for little things you can do to increase activity throughout the day as a family:

• Going for walks around the neighborhood or to a nearby park
• Putting on music and having a dance party in the living room
• Going on a family hike
• Walking to a nearby shop for a fun treat
• Explore local playgrounds
• Invite another family to join your family on a bike ride
• Find indoor options like ice skating, community swimming pools, roller skating, or indoor climbing structures that allow you to be active in any weather

If you have health conditions or physical limitations, it’s always a good idea to check in with your health care provider before changing your physical activity levels. They can also give guidance on the best ways to add activity for your unique needs.

Kids move too, exercises for kids

There are lots of ways to help your kids incorporate activity into their lives. Encourage bike rides and walks, trying out new sports or dance classes. For little ones, have them act out different animals, like a bear crawl or a crab walk. Use small moments while waiting to have them play Simon Says with active movements like jumping in place or balancing on one foot. For older kids, motivate them to have activity-based meetups with friends or choose after school activities that will keep them moving. Show your kids that activity is a great part of your day, and that will help motivate them to move more too.

Living well

Rounding out the steps to take to encourage a healthy lifestyle, there are a few other things you can do daily to help your body.

Get enough sleep

Sleep is critical to helping your body recover from the day and preparing you for the next day. Adults should aim for at least 7 hours of sleep per night, according to current sleep recommendations. Children need lots of sleep when they are young, and the amount decreases as they age. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children 3-5 years old should sleep 10-13 hours per day (that includes their naps), while children ages 6-12 should sleep for 9-12 hours each night. Teenagers should aim for 8-10 hours of sleep a night.

• Sleep hygiene – you can do a lot to help how you sleep by working on your sleep hygiene. Sleep hygiene refers to different sleep habits that you can follow to improve your sleep. Some simple changes you can make to set up a sleep routine is to:
  • Prioritize going to bed and waking up around the same time each day
  • Turn off screens an hour or so before bed
  • Make your bedroom dark, relaxing, and cool
  • Avoid using caffeine or nicotine late in the day
• Support your sleep – Even with the best sleep hygiene, sometimes you need a little extra help to support your sleep. There are sleep supplements that may help. Melatonin is a hormone that your body produces at night to help your body transition to sleep. Taking a melatonin supplement before bedtime may help support sleep.* Vitafusion Melatonin, Extra Strength Melatonin, Melatonin Max Strength, and Kids Melatonin offer delicious melatonin options to meet your family’s needs.

Take your vitamins

• Support your Health - Our bodies need a wide mix of nutrients every day to function at their best. While it’s important to get these vitamins and minerals every day through your diet, a multivitamin can help support your nutrient intake every day. Some people need the additional support of taking specific vitamins or minerals, your health care professional can help you determine which vitamins or minerals are right for you.
• Go Gummy - Supplements can come in a variety of forms like gummy, pill, liquid, chewable tablet, or powder. Many people find that gummy vitamins are an easy and great-tasting way to take their vitamins and minerals. Just some of the advantages of gummy vitamins include no chalky aftertaste like some chewable tablets and no hard-to-swallow pills. Plus, there are gummy vitamins for all life stages – there’s one for everyone!
• Vitamin Routine - Make taking your vitamins part of your routine. You can either pair taking your vitamins with breakfast or perhaps add to part of your evening routine. Taking your vitamins along with something else you do every day helps you remember to take them and makes it part of your daily schedule.

Looking for multivitamins for your family? vitafusion and L’il Critters gummy supplements offer multivitamin options that are sure to please everyone in your family with their delicious flavors. Check out our line-up of tasty gummy and soft chew multivitamins:

L’il Critters Gummy Vites Multivitamins – Look no further than these gummy children’s multivitamins. They support health and development*, with delicious cherry, strawberry, orange, pineapple, and blueberry flavors.

vitafusion Daily Wellness Multi* Soft Chews – These new soft chews include 10 essential vitamins in every berry fusion flavored chew. They are individually wrapped to go anywhere!

vitafusion Women’s Multivitamin Gummy – These multivitamins come in delightful berry flavors. Each gummy vitamin serving has 100% Daily Value of 7 essential nutrients and is gluten-free. These multivitamin gummies for women help support energy metabolism and immune health.*

vitafusion Men’s Multi Daily Multivitamin Gummies - In two delicious berry-flavored gummies, each two-gummy multivitamin serving helps provide men with support for cellular energy while also supporting the immune system and muscles.*

vitafusion Women’s 50+ Multi - Each two-gummy serving of these vitamin supplements supports overall health and wellness of women 50+. The tasty fruit flavored gummies help support heart, eye, bone, and immune health, with B vitamins to help nourish the brain*.

Vitafusion Men’s 50+ Multi – In delectable apple and citrus berry flavors, these multivitamins are specially formulated for men 50 years and older. Each two-gummy serving of these vitamin supplements supports overall health and wellness of men 50+ by helping to support heart, eye, immune, and muscle health, with B vitamins to help nourish the brain*.

Small steps to support a healthy family

Making healthy changes for your family might feel overwhelming, but even small steps can greatly improve your family’s health. By prioritizing eating well, moving well, and sleeping well, you are setting a positive example for your family and creating a foundation for lifelong well-being. vitafusion gummy vitamins are here to help you no matter what life-stage needs your family has, today and tomorrow.

Brought to you by the vitafusion™ nutrition experts.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.