Balance. It’s what we strive for every single day. Our minds, bodies & livelihood thrive on mindful eating, drinking, sleep & exercise. There’s a new initiative from the American Beverage Association to help us all with this daily balance.
Balance and moderation are themes I speak about often and wanted to open this important conversation with you again. It’s an issue that can often get overlooked in the busy holiday season, but it can easily be addressed…
I have 2 kiddos. My son will be 8 years old this week & my daughter just turned 11. They are super active, energetic and the total loves of my life! My goal as a parent is to ensure that my babies grow into thoughtful, healthy & strong adults. As parents we educate our kids in the best ways we can.
We send them to school and encourage them to find their passions & run wild with their dreams. Another important thing we need to teach them is to be mindful of the importance of balancing the calories they consume. This includes those calories consumed from beverages.
Calories need to be balanced with the physical activity they get. The American Beverage Association wants to help build awareness and educate parents on the mission of their new Mixify initiative. The goal? Simple. To support families’ ongoing efforts to achieve balance.
The idea for Mixify started when moms across the country told America’s leading beverage companies they wanted the companies’ support in educating their teens about balance, and that includes how they can fit all the foods and beverages they might enjoy, including things like soda and ice cream or other treats, and still achieve balanced lifestyles.
Mixify was co-created with teens to make sure it would resonate with them, and includes features teens specifically asked for, like the opportunity to ask experts, like dietitians and personal trainers, for advice on how to fit balance into their busy lives. It’s important to keep lines of communication with our kids clear & informative. Mixify helps up do this!
- Check out this video for a quick overview of the effort
- To learn more about the ABA effort, you can visit the Delivering Choices website.
- Digital resources for teens about Mixify.
- Follow ABA Delivers on Twitter & Facebook too!
- Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post What do you do to keep your family balanced? Tips?
- Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
- Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
- For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
138 Comments
we eat well and try to get outdoors as a family as much as we can
https://twitter.com/LuLu_Brown24/status/543056929715539968
We limit sweets and soda.
tweet–https://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/543058808264609793
We limit sugary drinks to one or two a week. They are so fattening. We eat fruits and veges every day, and I get my son and daughter to help me with preparing their veges the way they want it. We try out healthy recipes together and when we cook together we enjoy our meals better! We also exercise every day by doing a fun activity that keeps us interested!
Tweet Entry
https://twitter.com/JewelWood/status/543066633896333312
I keep my family balanced by planning lots of outdoor activities and trying to feed them a balanced diet of lots of fruits and veggies.
tweet
https://twitter.com/Kellydpa/status/543074178870411264
I think balance between fun and discipline is very important.
Remembering I don’t have to do everything…it’s okay to say no and have a messy house.
books and school work along with outdoor play get the kids computer or tv time.
I’m pretty structured and am kind of a drill sergeant. I keep to a strict schedule.:)
tweeted https://twitter.com/cjsorel/status/543103383234547712
We balance it good eating and exercise with the kids going to friends houses were they may not eat as healthy. Taking them to the park to roller skate or bike ride is one of our favorite things to do as a family!
I tweeted
https://twitter.com/my4boysand1/status/543103748264828928
https://twitter.com/pumpkinsfan1976/status/543104026905042944
Well I eat a vegetarian diet and I try to make everything low fat and as fresh as possible.
I try to sneak fruits and veggies in foods like smoothies and muffins.
Always sit down together to have dinner.
I tweeted!
https://twitter.com/Miranda199516/status/543108874895499264
We schedule family time, try not to commit to too many things, and just take a few days each weekend off for just us
we have family nights
we eat healthy and exercise to stay balanced
https://twitter.com/ElenaIstomina/status/543118018213990400
We always try to stay active as in walks or outside raking leaves or playing games that involve moving the body make it fun as possible .Although we enjoy a treat we also include he pets in a game of Frisbee or fetching a stick.Make it fun & enjoy the outside when possible..
Keeping my family balanced is key. Spiritually, mentally and physically. So we adhere to our faith, educate ourselves and exercise and eat right! It’s so important.
I tweeted about this promotion! https://twitter.com/PJGurganus/status/543123492342751232
I tweeted too https://twitter.com/jessrwarfield/status/543110993321009152
We try to make sure our kids get exercise when possible and eat healthy meals together as a family.
This is such an important message – love seeing the bigger companies get together to tackle such a hot topic!
Me too Liz!
It’s just me…I make myself notes!
We try to include at least one physical activity a day, even if it’s just taking a walk. Once it becomes a habit it’s so much easier to make happen
I try to keep my kids a healthy balanced food and also they do different activities to stay active its hard sometimes but all I need is to stay firm and focus.
We find a nice balance between school work/ lessons and fun on the weekends.
We stay balanced by doing a lot of outdoor activities together as a family, we also have healthy premade snacks in the fridge at all times. It is very important to us to stay active and eat a healthy diet.
Tweeted here — https://twitter.com/lil_lady_dz/status/543161391390023680
I keep my family balanced by having a schedule during the week that we stick to and then having our weekends to play and have fun.
I tweeted! https://twitter.com/katiemur80/status/543172116950962176
I am very strict on some things such as everyone sits down for dinner together and no electronics at the table. Talking and knowing what is going on in everyones life keeps us more aware and up to date.
https://mobile.twitter.com/SandyHeadtke/status/543205077364641792
Tweeted
I keep my family balanced by eating healthy and at home and exercising.
I keep my family balanced by enjoying food and also exercising together.
tcarolinep at gmail dot com
-https://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/543218151916179456
We stay balanced by only drinking water and unsweetened almond milk. We also eat clean and indulge in dark chocolate 🙂
I try to keep a regular schedule for all of us!
we eat lunch and dinner together as often as we can
We always sit down together to have dinner and have a weekly family game night.
https://twitter.com/susan1215/status/543448536499515392
every other month or so we go camping just to get away from the hustle and bustle of life work and school
I think it’s important to take time to talk to each other & touch bases on how everyone’s is doing.
For me, the biggest word is planning. By thinking ahead for the week and the next month, you can try to make sure you have made some frozen entrees etc for times that are going to be crazy, prepare healthy snacks for days you know friends’ kids are visiting. Know you can fit in special events without having to end up eating fast food for days because you didn’t have time to cook, etc.
A good mix of donuts, cuddles and long hikes! Totally not kidding.
We read labels and I tell my husband that if it’s fresh fruit or vegetable, I don’t really care how much it costs. It’s better than the alternative of chips.
https://twitter.com/Teawench/status/543526309154926592
We almost always eat dinner together and we add fruits or vegetables to every meal in order to stay balanced.
Tweet link: https://twitter.com/shala_darkstone/status/543579300788596736
My family tries to keep healthy, play together, and keep our communication open. We try to live a happy, blessed life each day.
Here is my twitter tweet! https://twitter.com/MamaCass55/status/543609905664761856
We stay very active.
I try to always make time Tom relax. It’s the only way to balance life’s chaos..
We keep our family balanced with a healthy mix of love,religion, schooling and fun.
https://twitter.com/devyjackson/status/543766982340800513
We like to go & do things outside together…like hiking at the park with the dog.
tweeted
https://twitter.com/rubylorikeet/status/543905375725318144
Having more fruits and veggies while having less processed foods!
To keep our family balanced we set in 5 areas of life – physical, mental. emotional, social and spiritual. Understanding that each area of our life must be worked on helps us find balance.
I got a gym membership for my son and I take him with me when I go.
I tweeted https://twitter.com/buddlakecats/status/544051538251898880
We go hiking, for both health & to get away from the city
I keep my family balanced by preparing healthy dinners and making sure that everyone gets plenty of exercise.
I tweeted. https://twitter.com/guthrie_96/status/544175750589345792
I am a single Christian who prays everyone morning and night to begin and end the day in balance.
We have a family calendar for each month. It makes it easy to keep track of things, and try to plan dinner together!
we eat as much fruit and veggies as we can!!
we get enough sleep and stay active to stay balanced
I keep my family balance by providing them with opportunities for all types of activities, arts, sports, and relaxation. Leaning too much towards one thing can cause unbalance, especially when not everyone involved prefers the same thing. Thank you for the wonderful giveaway.
Erin
fairyfractal at gmail dot com
Tweet:
https://twitter.com/Fairyfractal/status/544310316629102592
Erin
fairyfractal at gmail dot com
Encourage our kids to participate in sports that will be a lifetime activity, cross country, swimming, walk with family, and a time to eat a healthy meal with family. Grab yogurts and produce for snacks.
we all go to the gym together, we eat dinner together every night, and try to make the kids eat lots of veggies!!
We focus on drinking mostly water and staying active! truckredford(at)Gmail(Dot)com
https://twitter.com/eliza_elliott/status/544696399036563456 truckredford(at)gmail(Dot)com
WE EAT DINNER AROUND THE TABLE.. SO EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT’S GOING ON IN EVERYONE ELSE’S LIFE AT THE MOMENT…
2ND ENTRY TWEET https://twitter.com/kytah00/status/544700904595681280
I like to schedule out certain things during the week, family time, alone time, friend time, electronic time etc… thats the only way it works in our home.
https://twitter.com/1amypugmire/status/544744793591382016
Limiting the amount of sugar has been really helpful!
I tweeted the giveaway.
https://twitter.com/Kmmlynch/status/544952463560683520
We try to eat a balance diet 🙂
We eat right, get enough rest (most of the time) and try not to stress too much.
We go on family walks.
https://twitter.com/618mom23boys/status/545055025475514368
My tips to keep balance are to have a schedule and to follow it. If you schedule in time for things like exercise or play or taking the time to prepare a healthier snack, you will find that you have time to do these things rather than just winging it.
Tweet: https://twitter.com/PrettyHotPink6/status/545072794480828416
We try to eat good and take our vitamins and drink lots of water
I tweeted https://twitter.com/TheHippieHut/status/545109441788403712
we eat health dinner together and go for a walk after dinner
https://twitter.com/HappyTina0115/status/545319538003161088
we eat dinner together
https://twitter.com/purplelover04/status/545683949620428800
We try to have dinner together every night.
We ride bikes and we eat at least one meal a day together.
Family dinners once a week are a must! It brings us all together to enjoy healthy, real food, and to catch up on each others’ lives. I’m also a big fan of family game nights 🙂
Our main drink of choice is water! I try to keep packaged sweets to a minimum as well.
We eat good, natural foods every day. We do have treats from time to time, but always spend lots of time playing sports together. It all evens out 🙂
tweet – https://twitter.com/dmarie824/status/546529553884004352
Tweet: https://twitter.com/OneFrugalGirl/status/546534424909991936
onefrugalgirl AT gmail DOT com
We try to keep a lot of veggies and fruit on hand, so if we do eat something that isn’t so good for us we make sure we don’t do it very often.
onefrugalgirl AT gmail DOT com
I try to encourage healthy snacks. And our kids are also involved in a lot of sports.
tweeted: https://twitter.com/KerryBishop/status/546697820942528512
Healthy snacks like fruit and yogurt were always around in our house.
gmissycat at yahoo dot com
Tweeted
https://twitter.com/gmissycat/status/546846369336807424
Making sure everyone smiles every day!
I try and balance my calories in vs calories out to make sure I’m not over-eating; but it allows me to indulge occasionally.
we try to eat healthy and exercise regularly
I try to make most meals at home and out of organic/natural ingredients. All meals are also vegetarian. That way, when we are craving junk food, I don’t have to feel badly, because I know most meals are very healthy.
I tweeted here: https://twitter.com/MsTofuFairy/status/547453725036400640
we only give the kids fast food on special occasions, we limit the times we eat out to only 2-3 per month and I cook homemade meals for my family made with fresh ingredients
tweeted -https://twitter.com/neiddy_ruiz/status/547493944724967424
i posted a tweet here:
https://twitter.com/bellows22/status/547536426783350784
I make homemade meals with veggies to keep them balanced
https://twitter.com/aes529/status/547756479508656128
We make homemade meals, try to stay active, and eat all our meals together !
My tweet https://twitter.com/AurelieRed/status/547766366367797249
We make sure to make time for everything from work and school to fun time.
tweeted
https://twitter.com/thomasmurphy40/status/547837113559810048
We eat a fruit snack each day and a vegetable each night.
tweet https://twitter.com/electricstar/status/547879261252509697
We eat dinner together as a family and I try to limit their after school activites
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
tweet https://twitter.com/ChelleB36/status/547879386632818688
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
We do family exercise as often as possible! Walking and biking together are our favorites.
Tweeted! https://twitter.com/pixel_berry_pie/status/547901113484451841
My biggest struggle is finding the time for all of our family activities. So I do my best to manage our schedules so that the kids have enough down time and get enough rest.
eswright18 at gmail dot com
tweeted
https://twitter.com/eswright18/status/547905827059675136
We love to keep balanced by trying fruits and veggies in new ways!
I tweeted about the giveaway as @tmt121172 on 12/24/14
Who won? 🙂
BlogHer is supposed to be sending me that info soon 🙂