Key habits all year: Ideas for May
| Healthy You | 5-2-1-0 | Kids Health
Put these 5-2-1-0 principles to work for your family’s long-term health.
Family members can help each other stay healthy. Everyone of any age can use the 5-2-1-0 approach. Here’s what each number represents every day:
See how your family might adopt 5-2-1-0 in every season of the year.
Here are a few 5-2-1-0 ideas for the month of May:
Use a playful theme.
Is a young member of your family learning letters, colors or shapes? To promote eating 5 veggies and fruits per day use veggies and fruit to create a theme.
Will your family notice if the names of foods on the plate start with same letter? Broccoli, banana and berries.
What if the veggies or fruits are all the same color? Or the colors of the rainbow?
How about shapes? You can cut jicama, a crispy veggie, into circles, squares and triangles.
Plant a garden.
Growing food or flowers can be fun for the whole family. Digging in the dirt can help you all feel closer to nature. And it’s a nice break from screens to limit screen time under two hours.
No yard? Pots on the patio or a windowsill might be options. Empty food tubs (e.g., cottage cheese or yogurt) and plastic clamshells (what berries come in) can be used.
You might also find community gardens where you can connect with neighbors. PeaceHealth supports the following shared garden sites:
- Bellingham, Washington - Common Threads’ Farm Programs
- Cottage Grove, Oregon - Huerto de la Familia
- Friday Harbor, Washington - Nourishtoflourishwa.org
- Ketchikan, Alaska - Community Gardens - Ketchikan Wellness Coalition
- Longview, Washington - Lower Columbia School Gardens
Gardening gives you a good excuse to get outdoors regularly. Seeing changes in plants can be thrilling. If things go well, you could have a bright bouquet of flowers or the satisfaction of eating homegrown lettuce or strawberries.
Learn more about health benefits of gardening.
Go for a bike ride.
Biking is a great option for getting one hour of daily movement. Dust off your family’s bikes or trikes. Check each for safety. See if everyone’s helmet still fits. (Watch this video on picking and fitting a helmet.)
No bike? Check for free or low-cost bicycles online or at garage sales. Some areas offer bike-sharing programs, such as PeaceHealth Rides in Eugene, Oregon.
You can even cycle indoors — without any equipment. Lie on your back on the floor. Put your legs up in the air and “peddle” as if you are cycling. See how far or long you can go.
Sip sparkling water.
When regular water feels boring, consider sparkling water. Bubbles can add a festive fizzy “pop” without adding sugar. It’s a fun way to encourage zero-sugar drinks.
Seltzer doesn’t have to be fancy. Several stores offer affordable options in bottles and cans.
Small steps make a difference. Try these and other tips to see how you and your family can build healthy habits — little by little.
It’s not always easy to stay healthy. When you or your family are sick, PeaceHealth is here for you — ready to help you get back to feeling better.
