Be specific on your family healthy nutrition goals

Back to school time represents a great time to get organized in setting some good healthy family goals.

Here are a few tips:

• sit down together with your child and discuss why the family is making nutrition and/or activity changes
• let them, in fact, encourage them to be part of the conversation, what do they think, what is a good goal etc
• set one goal, change takes time but every change creates a healthier child
• keep it simple
• be SPECIFIC. like eating breakfast everyday, or five days a week (M-F) after dinner we will take a one hour walk (you get the idea)
• sit down and sign an agreement, it makes it more official and real for the child, here are some agreement sheets that are fun and designed for kids and parents
• print the associated tracking sheet and post it in a visible place, like the refrigerator is a good one
• everyday, fill it out,
• be happy and celebrate small victories
• it is a victory to start because you are helping your child see that this is important

Most important, have fun with it. Find ways to make games out of completing the goal!