Ways to Unwind With Your Family

Tough day? Take a walk as a family. Being outside in nature can help everyone relax. Explain to your kids that relaxing not only feels good, it can also help make us healthier. When we’re stressed, we’re more likely to make unhealthy choices, like picking junk food or deciding to veg instead of being physically active. Unwinding helps us clear our minds and gives us the energy and focus to make good choices.

Set aside one evening a week for family game night. It’s tempting to deal with stress by zoning out in front of the TV with a bag of chips, but teach your kids that there are much better ways to relax. Take turns choosing games to play and make fun, silly rules to get kids -- and parents! -- to get up and move. For example, “If you land on green, get up and act like a chicken.”

Stretching can relax tense muscles, and animal-inspired poses like downward dog and cobra can make kids giggle. Don’t feel like you have to take a class to try it as a family. Find a yoga DVD just for kids or families, and make sure everyone is wearing comfy clothes.

For a relaxing activity, let your inner artists out. Cover the kitchen floor with layers of newspapers and paint pictures right on the papers, or make mini sculptures with clay. Grab paper and pencils and draw sketches of each other in notebooks. Break out the sidewalk chalk and create masterpieces right outside your front door. Creative fun is a great way to relax and ease stress.

It can melt away stress and relax tight muscles. Have everyone sit comfortably, eyes closed, as you coach them:

• Take a slow deep breath in through your nose. See how your belly raises up?
• Hold your breath. 1-2-3.
• Slowly breathe out through your mouth. See how your belly goes down? Let out a sigh as you exhale, "ahhhhhhhh."

Tell your kids they can deep-breathe whenever they need to recharge or calm down: at school, before a game or concert, or at the end of the day.

Who needs TV? Find a book and take turns reading pages out loud. Do voices for all the characters, almost like you're putting on a play.

Health bonus: Reading can be part of a regular bedtime routine that helps kids wind down and gets them ready for good sleep.

Read a chapter a night. It may even get your kids to look forward to bedtime so they can see what happens next.

If you're a little bit country, grandpa is a little bit rock 'n' roll, and your kids are all pop, put everyone’s favorite jams on one playlist. You can even download a free DJ app so the kids can mash-up fave family songs.  

Use what you create to motivate your family to walk, dance, and move. Or you can make a calming playlist with chill music if you want to help everyone de-stress.

One of the best ways to de-stress is to get moving. Tell that to the kids as you head outside, or put on some fun music and dance around. (Remember that motivating mixtape?)

Or make a goofy circuit training workout where each family member makes up an exercise. If you can't get outside, don't let four walls stop you. Try jumping jacks in the living room, toe-touches in the kitchen, and crab-walking down the hall.

Want to lower the stress hormones in your body? Laugh! Have everyone share a funny story or their favorite joke. Make sure everyone is listening when it's one person's time to talk. It'll make your kids feel good when people pay attention. Everyone gets their moment in the spotlight.