Dr. Rippe's Blog

More time with our families is a continuing goal for busy people. Because I travel a lot, we intentionally make family time a priority. Here are three ways to tap into time with family that offer multiple benefits.

• Eat meals together as often as possible. Take time to share individual interests and activities. Ask each family member, for example, to share a highlight from their day or week. More family meals are also associated with better nutrient intakes and eating habits in children. Children tend to maintain these healthy habits as they grow into young adulthood. If you can't eat together on many nights, then schedule specific family nights. Sunday night is our special family time.
• Walk together regularly. Invite your spouse and/or children to accompany you on your regular activity program. The SMC Balanced Walking Program adapts to people of all ages and stages. One of the best ways to get your children engaged in regular physical activity is to model it for them. Walking, jogging, swimming, and other cardio activities as well as flexibility exercises are easy to do as a family group. Include them for some sessions, if not all.
• Plan regular family outings. The simplest family outings can provide time to relax and enjoy each other. A night out at a family-friendly pizza joint, a picnic and day hike at a nearby state park, cheering for the home team at a sporting event, taking in a concert or art exhibit, having a board-game blow-out at home¿whatever activities your family enjoys can provide restorative time together.

How do you like to tap into time for family?

Almost half of American adults report that stress negatively affects their personal and work lives, according to a recent survey conducted by the American Psychological Association. A third of Americans experience extreme stress levels. Stress is certainly present in our daily lives. But a very simple technique, the ten-minute timeout, can help you neutralize negative stress and manage it positively. A number of studies have confirmed its effectiveness.

When stress mounts, here's how to take a ten-minute timeout. Find a quiet spot where you can avoid interruptions (shut your office or bedroom door; ignore the phone or email). Sitting comfortably, consciously relax your body and visualize a peaceful scene. Focus on breathing deeply in and out. Gently push intrusive thoughts away and continue to focus on your breathing. Some people find it helps to slowly repeat a phrase such as "in, out" with each deep breath. Or you can say or think "down, down," focusing on slowing your heart rate. Taking just ten minutes for this mindfulness exercise reduces the impact of stress as it restores your feeling of control.

In future blogs, I'll share more stress management techniques. What simple techniques have you found useful? 

A sense of well-being is critical to your quality and enjoyment of life (and to achieving balance). Compared to nutrition or activity, however, well-being may seem a fuzzy concept.

That's because so many varied factors contribute to your well-being: Having time for yourself and for family and friends. Managing stress. Engaging in meaningful pursuits. Enjoying connection to others and adequate emotional support. Dealing positively with lifestyle issues such as managing weight or quitting smoking. The list goes on.

Balance is a bit like a three-legged stool. You can have balanced daily nutrition (leg 1) and follow a well-rounded physical activity program (leg 2), but if you neglect well-being (leg 3), your stool won't stand up. Your sense of being in control and balanced will teeter and may even crash. But we can help you build a strong third leg.

StartMakingChoices.com has many resources to help you work on the aspects of well-being important to you. In this blog, I'll share practical techniques and useful ideas on specific areas related to well-being. Sharing your questions and comments with me can help shape our discussion. I'll start by asking you: What's the biggest challenge to your perception of well-being?