Get a Health Tune-Up

As we dot the last “i” and cross the last “t” on our Family Health issue, in stores in early March, the subject of wellness weighs heavily on my mind.

I’m 43. In the last 20 years I’ve quietly gained about 40 pounds – let’s call it pregnancy weight that never really went away. How did that happen? With two growing and active daughters you’d think I’d be burning calories like crazy as I try to keep up to them.

The truth is, I may be busy ferrying my children to dance lessons, hockey games, orthodontist appointments and babysitting gigs, but I’m not very active. Hands up if you’re in the same boat.

Our Family Health issue is loaded with ideas of how to face that challenge. Read how a mother and daughter from British Columbia signed up to lose weight on a reality TV show. Get advice from doctors at Sick Kids Hospital on starting heart-healthy habits with children early. Even our Creating page combines craft projects with ways to get you and your kids moving.

I find it daunting to commit to a three-day-a-week gym workout or swim routine. So I’m going to follow the advice of Michele, the mom who lost weight on X-Weighted: Families, and do a little bit at a time, starting with no longer using the drive-through bank teller, and changing my Timmy’s order from a double-double to a regular. That I can handle.