Top tips for your family

At MEND, we give families all sorts of ideas to help them get fitter, healthier and happier. 

Why not challenge everyone in your family to follow our top tips? You can start right away and we promise you’ll soon start feeling the difference.

Our top tips:

1. Eat breakfast every day – Some ideas include: a piece of fruit, a low fat yoghurt, wholegrain cereal (try oat or wholewheat varieties), some   toast - wholemeal or granary bread are best, or even leftovers from the previous day.

2. Keep refreshed - Drink 6-8 cups of water every day (tap water is fine, environmentally friendly and practically free)

3. Limit soft drinks - Stick to 1 glass (200ml) of fruit juice a day, and try to limit fizzy drinks

4.Switch to wholegrain foods - Swap ‘white’ varieties of starchy foods (such as bread, pasta and rice) for wholemeal or wholegrain varieties, which are less refined

5. Stick to your 5 a day - Eat at least 5 fruit and vegetable servings a day. Why not go to the local market or supermarket and see if you can pick up something unusual for everyone to try

6. Keep an eye on treats – try to limit your treats to no more than 5 per week (such as crisps, savoury snacks, biscuits, cakes, chocolate, sweets or fizzy drinks)

7. Limit your screen time – try not to spend more than 2 hours a day in total watching TV, on the computer (excluding homework) or playing electronic games

8. Exercise regularly - Do at least 2 exercise sessions per week which make your heartbeat and breathing faster. E.g. MEND exercise sessions, dance, sports clubs, swimming lessons, karate

9. Keep active – Organise at least one activity a week to get the whole family moving, and encourage children to play outdoors after school and on the weekend as often as possible

10. Use the car less – Try walking or cycling to school and other places whenever you can, and get off the bus a few stops early so you can stretch your legs

If you join a MEND Programme or Mini-MEND Programme you’ll learn so much more.  Why not take a look at what other families have to say about their experiences, and see if it might be suitable for you?