You love your family, so it stinks to watch ’em snack on junk food, bypass the treadmill to watch hours of reality shows on the couch and make unhealthy decisions, like smoking. You want them to be around forever, so while it’s not up to you to transform them, here’s how to gently guide them to the right track. Remember: it’s important not to be rude, overbearing or judgmental – treat these discussions like the delicate topic they are, and listen to what they have to say. But living in an unhealthy home makes it a whole lot harder for you to stay fit as well. Here’s how to get your family shape up without any of the awkwardness.

Fast Food Family

Situation: Who prepares the meals in your house? In most homes, it’s the parents who are in charge of getting food on the table. After a long workday, it’s understandable that Mom or Pops might not want to make a huge production of eating dinner. Too often, however, this means a quick zip to the drive-thru or frozen TV dinners in front of the tube. Eating the greasy stuff every so often is OK, but if you’re chomping on chips or guzzling soda every night, your parent’s choices will soon affect your health in a negative way. 

Solution: If you really want to eat better, it’s time for you to take some more responsibility! Offer your services as a chef if you get home early, and whip up some recipes with whole grains, lean proteins and veggies (check out these recipes). Figure out what the issue is: if you can’t afford fancy food from health shops, go to your local supermarket and buy the cheaper, generic options. They don’t taste any different than brand names, and give you more options for way less. Tag along on grocery store shopping and help your ’rents make healthy choices. Just remember not to be pushy, or blame them for serving ya fries. And remember, everything in moderation – it’s totally okay to make the healthy transformation at a gradual rate. And if you are subjected to the drive-thru, make better-for-you picks whenever possible.

Couch Potato

Situation: Your sister comes straight home from school and plops right in the recliner to watch re-runs. She hates activities that’ll get her heart-rate up and considers getting up for snacks her daily exercise. You know that habits you develop as kids will follow you into adulthood, so how can you get your sister out of her chair and into a healthy lifestyle?

Solution: Be sensitive! Don’t target your sis and accuse her of being lazy – she’ll be majorly offended and just keep channel surfing. Instead, try and get your whole family moving. Plan hikes on the weekends, or make a sched for who walks the dog. It’ll get her up and moving, and if she’s with you, she’ll have a great time. No need to go all Jillian Michaels on her, but keep her motivated and positive.

Situation: Your dad’s been lighting up since before he knew it was bad, and he doesn’t have the time or the motivation to quit. But as we all know now, smoking is incredibly bad for his health and yours. Not only does it increase his chances of lung cancer, cardiovascular diseases and high blood pressure, but second-hand smoke gets in your lungs as well. Especially if you or a family member has asthma, your dad lighting up can create a toxic environment to live in. Yikes.

Solution: Fact is, the nicotine in cigarettes is seriously addictive (which is why it’s best never to try it at all). It’s REALLY hard to quit, especially if the smoker isn’t particularly motivated to do so. Be aware of how difficult it is to give up smoking for good, and be sensitive when you confront your dad. It’s important that he comes to the decision on his own, but your input could inspire him to try to stop this bad habit. Explain that you want him to live for a long time to see you get married, have kids, etc., and tell him about the effects of second-hand smoke. Even if you can’t convince him to stop, you might be able to reach a compromise. Maybe he’ll agree to smoking only outside the house to keep the inside air fresh, which can make a huge difference for the rest of the family.

Remember: Respect your family members. Never try to tear them down for their bad choices, but rather be positive and encourage them to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Good luck, girls!

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