Maintaining a healthy weight for life is a great goal to set. Keep these simple tips in mind to help you and your family achieve this goal. You will also feel great about making positive changes to your eating, physical activity and screen time habits. More…

• Make a commitment. You need to make a commitment to yourself and your family to eat nutritious foods, get regular physical activity and reduce recreational screen time.

• Create a support network. It helps to have a network of family, friends and colleagues who will support you in your new lifestyle habits. Let as many people as possible know what your goals are and, hopefully, they will not only support you, but join you.

• Set realistic goals. The best goals are specific, attainable and forgiving (not perfect). “Eat three servings of fruit a day” is a better goal than “eat more fruit”.

• Track progress. Tracking progress can help you and your family feel good about your successes and can show you where you may need to make some changes if everyone is not meeting their goals.

• Learn how to handle setbacks. Expect them. Setbacks usually happen to those who are overconfident and say, “It won’t happen to me!” Being committed, setting realistic goals and being prepared with alternative ideas will help you handle these setbacks with a ‘let’s keep going” attitude.

• Reward yourself. One way to help you and your family stay motivated is to regularly reward yourselves. Choose non-food reward as much as possible. A day at the local lake or beach, or a trip to the park to ride bicycles, roller blade, or fly a kite are family friendly rewards.