This spring, try something new with the whole family, develop a healthy routine or purge what you no longer need in your life. The following are a few ideas to get you started.
Commit to eating clean regularly.
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Pick one meal a day or choose one day a week and rid that meal or day of processed foods and ingredients (or anything you've been feeling guilty about). Try a green smoothie for breakfast, a big salad for lunch or an easy-peasy sheet pan dinner that's full of vegetables. You'll feel better in no time.
Implement divide-and-conquer-style cleanups.
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If the idea of cleaning your whole home feels overwhelming, create a quick chart with rooms across one axis and days of the week on the other. Sprinkle family members' names on the squares throughout and voila: a handy list of room-tidying marching orders. You can also shake things up by writing the names of all rooms on slips of paper and have each family member draw his or her assignment from a hat.
Try a tech-free Sabbath.
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It doesn't have to be on a Sunday, but choose one day or one evening per week to leave all mobile devices on their chargers and just be present as a family. You won't regret ignoring your inbox.
Use an app to clear your mind.
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Reboot family game night.
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If you usually play a tech-centered game like Heads Up, try old-fashioned board games for a change or a card game like Apples to Apples. Don't forget to incorporate your own childhood favorites such as Rummy or Go Fish. And for families who don't play games at all, give it a try! You might love it.
Try a photo scavenger hunt.
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Get outside and explore your neighborhood together. Create a checklist of fun items to search for and hit the pavement with an instant film camera to capture it all. Don't forget to end with a family photo to mark the occasion.
Create a bedtime ritual.
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If you have trouble getting to sleep at night, create a bedtime routine you can do every night to prep for bed. Enjoy a cup of hot decaf tea or coffee, read in bed (not on your smartphone or tablet) or listen to relaxing music. The ritual of this act will prepare you mentally and physically for sleep, much like it does for babies or young children.
Make your bed every day.
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This might seem either obvious or too small to make a difference, but this one-minute act performed each morning checks off the first item on your mental to-do list, thereby setting you off on a path to success for the rest of the day. And this isn't just for adults, either. Starting around three or four, toddlers should be able to take on this small task that helps them take ownership of and feel pride in their personal space.
Create a self-care shower routine.
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Showers are a necessity, so why not turn them into an opportunity for in-the-present self-care? Add an in-shower hair mask, a delicious-smelling scrub or even a few drops of a relaxing essential oil to tense shoulders to help create a spa-like experience. Light your favorite candle on the way in, and you'll emerge refreshed.
Start on a high note.
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Studies show that people who sing together are naturally happier and healthier. At the beginning of your family meal or when you're cleaning up afterwards, why not choose a favorite song to sing or turn on the radio and sing along? Alternate the family member who gets to choose the song, so everyone gets in on the fun.
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