How Healthy Are You And Your Family?
How healthy are you and your family? Health is one the key things that parents want most for their kids. Alongside being happy, most of us just want our kids and family to be as healthy as they can possibly be.
So, when it comes to your family’s health and wellbeing – where are you doing well? Where could you be doing better?
A nice straight-forward way to work out where you might benefit from some help is by going back to basics. Let’s look at what health really is. The World Health Organisation (WHO) sums it up well in their definition:
“Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”
At FCC, this is a definition of health we wholeheartedly agree with.
This definition covers all aspects of our health, and gives us a reference point. A strong reference point helps you to ensure you are taking all the appropriate steps towards the best standard of health for your whole family.
Often, it’s easy to base our perception of how healthy we are on how we’re feeling at one particular moment in time. Or maybe by how much exercise we’ve done in that day. Or how well we’ve eaten in that one week. By doing this, it’s far too easy to miss out on some bigger pieces of the puzzle or neglect other areas of our wellbeing that will eventually lead to ill-health without close attention.
So, now that you know this: where could you make improvements for you, your kids – and ultimately – your whole family? Here’s a few questions to ask yourself throughout the year:
Physical Health
- Could you get some more movement into your week to help your physical wellbeing?
Is it possible to park a little further away at school pick up time and get a short walk in together?
Is it possible to have a park visit as a family on the weekend?
Mental Health
Are you taking each family member’s mental and social wellbeing into account (yours included, Mum)?
Could you make some room for 1:1 time every now and again?
Or a mental health day every now and again?
Energy levels & Stress
- Do you all truly feel that you have the energy to do everything you need to do in a day?
Are you feeling like your body is coping with the demands of daily life without significant stress?
Could any of your family members be sleeping better?
Could any of your family members be eating more vegetables?
Could there be less stress in your day to day life?
If you’re reading these questions thinking there are areas your whole family, or even just one or two of you could improve in, then that is ok. That’s excellent, in fact. Small steps lead to success.
Changes don’t have be big or taken on all at once. Even just revisiting the definition of health from time to time can help. Health is a topic we’re passionate about, so we’d be happy to chat with you about how to keep you and yours in optimal health. When you’re next in let us know what has stood out as key areas for change, and where you might need help.
What Really Happens To Your Body In Pregnancy
Congratulations! If you’re reading this you are either pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant. This is an exciting time in your life for you and your soon to be growing family!
Pregnancy can be an amazing time, but it can also be a time of stress and challenging emotions. All too often there is fear, uncertainty about decisions that must be made, and all mixed in with hormones and happiness on top of it all. No wonder Mums-to-be are tired!
Alongside all of this are the many, many changes that take place in your body.
Many of the Mums we work with at FCC experience a great degree of comfort (even when there is some discomfort) if they understand and connect with the changes in their bodies over the course of their pregnancy. During this time the female body definitely does undergo some major changes. Some of them are obvious (hello - belly!) and some of them not so much.
So, what can you expect to experience in your body when you are expecting?
Pregnancy Fatigue.
Tiredness in pregnancy is most common, and often prominent in the 1st and 3rd trimester. As with everything, every woman’s experience of this can vary. The fatigue is largely due to the fact that you are supporting the growth of your baby.
Some of the best ways to work with this fatigue include earlier bed times and naps, focusing on eating nutritious foods at regular intervals, and making sure you have the best vitamin and mineral supplements for you at your current stage of pregnancy.
Changing Fitness Levels and Freedom Movement.
Exercise and movement is important during pregnancy, regardless of your pre-pregnancy fitness levels. Guidelines about what kind of exercise and when you should exercise during pregnancy have changed recently. It’s important to know how to safely exercise, and this is something we would be happy to discuss with you - in person if possible, as this is ideally assessed according to your individual needs.
There are many reasons why you might need to change (either increasing or decreasing) your fitness routine. Changes in blood pressure, blood volume and posture are just some of the factors to consider. Another important consideration is that during pregnancy you’re not just moving to keep fit, you’re also training to give birth and have the best recovery from pregnancy as possible.
Back Pain.
This is one thing that many expectant Mums experience in pregnancy. In fact, it has been reported that up to 80% of women experience low back pain in pregnancy, with the first onset before 20 weeks.
This is the result of normal hormonal changes that affect ligament laxity, which is needed to carry, birth and recover from baby. The experience of pain is one that a pregnant woman does not have to have…and this is also something that Mums-to-be are often not told. Plus, discomfort felt can become a barrier to having the best possible pregnancy, delivery and recovery. This is why we encourage Mums to work with it and not through it.
There are many ways to manage the changes taking place in your body so you not only have the best experience of pregnancy, but also ensure the experience of the beginning of your child’s life is one of the best it can be. The key is generally working on it from the earliest stage possible. This might even be before you fall pregnant. This is also why we at FCC are here for you!