6 Ways to Celebrate National Wellness Month With Your Family
August: the time for back to school, back to work, and preparing for cooler weather and flu season. OR you and your family could celebrate National Wellness Month and start new habits to help keep you all feeling your best throughout the year.
What is National Wellness Month? Why is wellness important? How can you celebrate National Wellness Month? Here’s what you should know.
What Is Wellness?
The Global Wellness Institute defines wellness as “the active pursuit of activities, choices, and lifestyles (which) lead to a state of holistic health.” Essentially, wellness is making conscious decisions to do things which make you feel mentally and emotionally well.
Why Is Wellness Important?
Wellness is about quality of life in various areas, such as:
- Mental wellness
- Physical wellness
- Social wellness
- Spiritual wellness
- Emotional wellness
- Intellectual wellness
- Workplace wellness
The more you focus on wellness in every area of your life, the better overall quality of life you are likely to have.
When Is National Wellness Month?
National Wellness Month is held every August.
Ways to Celebrate National Wellness Month
No matter what your family enjoys, there are many ways to celebrate National Wellness Month. Here are some of our favorite ideas.
1.Get Active
We’ve all heard exercise is important, but just how crucial is it? Here are some of the ways exercise can lead you and your family to be healthier and happier:
- Helps control weight
- Boosts energy
- Improves mood
- Combats health conditions and diseases
- Promotes better sleep
At Sky Cove South, we make it easy to exercise, no matter how you prefer to go about it. Take advantage of our fitness center, convenient undulating pathways at our Euro-Park, and the Westlake Adventure Park.
2. Spend Time Outside
According to one recent study, spending at least 2 hours per week in nature is associated with good health and wellbeing. In Southern Florida, we’re fortunate to experience excellent weather year-round, and residents aren’t forced indoors by cold weather every winter.
If you choose to call Sky Cove South home, you can enjoy everything the Westlake Adventure Park has to offer, including a 360,000-gallon lagoon pool surrounded by chaise lounges and swaying palms, 3-story Tower Slide, BMX-style Pump Park, bocce ball, and more.
Plus, our oversized backyards let you spend time outside however you prefer. Outfit your yard with a pool, putting green, lawn, or patio to accommodate your family’s favorite ways to spend time outdoors.
3. Focus On Getting More Sleep
Did you know failing to get enough sleep puts you at increased risk for high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, obesity, stroke, heart disease, poor mental health, and even early death?
Adults should get at least 7-9 hours of sleep each night, and kids (even teens) need more. Teens need at least 8-10 hours of sleep per night, elementary school-age children need 9-12 hours of sleep, and younger kids need even more when you factor in naps.
Do you struggle to get enough sleep? Here are a few tips:
- Exercise, but not too close to bedtime
- Don’t use tobacco products
- Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and large meals too close to bedtime
- Remove all electronics from the bedroom, including, TVs, computers, and phones
- Make sure your bedroom is relaxing, dark, quiet, and kept at a comfortable temperature
- Go to bed at the same time each night and get up at the same time every morning, even on weekends
4. Meal Prep Together
Nutrition is crucial for everybody, but especially for growing children. Explain to your children the importance of eating foods made from real, whole ingredients. Have them help you plan meals and snacks so the whole family feels included in deciding what to eat and learns how to eat responsibly.
You can also give your kids age-appropriate ways to help you cook, so they can take those cooking skills and recipes with them when they grow up and go out into the world.
5.Practice Deep Breathing
At the core of meditation, yoga, and many other relaxation techniques are deep breathing exercises, many of which are simple enough to teach to even young children.
We all deal with stress in our lives, and our kids are no exception. If you regularly practice deep breathing exercises with your children, they’ll learn to do them on their own when they’re experiencing stress and they’ll then have a coping mechanism to help them deal with it.
How does deep breathing improve symptoms of stress? First, deep abdominal breathing helps with oxygen exchange, meaning your body and brain benefit from more oxygen in the bloodstream. Deep breathing can also slow the heartbeat and lower blood pressure.
6.Drink More Water
Are you or your kids constantly a little dehydrated without realizing it? Almost 4 out of 5 people don’t drink enough water. Even mild dehydration can result in mood changes and unclear thinking. Dehydration can also cause your body to overheat and lead to kidney stones or constipation.
How much water is enough? It depends on your age, size, activity level, and other factors.
Get your kids fun water bottles and make sure they’re always full – and make it a habit for the whole family to drink water with meals.
Looking for a Family Community in South Florida?
All kinds of families including multigenerational ones love the 3–5-bedroom homes of Sky Cove South in Westlake, Florida, just outside of West Palm Beach. With oversized backyards, hurricane impact windows, access to residents-only Westlake Adventure Park, and more, Sky Cove South is an amazing place to call home. Contact us today to learn more about our homes.
