For Yankee Jorge Posada, Staying Healthy Is a Family Affair

Photo: Chris Fanning

New York Yankee Jorge Posada and his wife, Laura, have a healthy and active family, which includes their two children, Jorge, 8, and Paulina, 5. The Posadas have always been committed to making good nutrition and fitness a part of their family's lifestyle, and now they're sharing in their new book, "Fit Home Team" how you can get your kids off the couch and eating healthier. "After my son Jorge was born with a condition called craniosynostosis, we started a foundation to raise awareness and to help other families deal with it," Laura Posada told That's Fit. "Through the foundation we were getting a lot of mail from families asking how we stayed in shape as a family, and to give them tips and ideas." Posada said she was surprised because she and Jorge thought what they were doing was simple -- both grew up in homes where being active in sports and having a home-cooked family meal each night was the norm -- so they continued the tradition. "But maybe people have forgotten the way we grew up," she adds. "The simplest things are the things people forget about, so we created this book as a guide for families."

Here, the Posada's share their top 10 tips for a healthy family lifestyle.

Call a family meeting: Play the part of a team leader by showing up with a clipboard and a whistle. Declare to the members of your family that happiness will be redefined in the context of group wellness and health. Make it clear to everyone that changes are coming -- the kind that will make their lives immeasurably better and endlessly more fun!

Create your team: It's important that the members of your team feel they have a say in the decisions that are being made and the activities that will be planned for the whole family to enjoy. You will be amazed with all the great ideas that the kids will come up with once they are given the opportunity to chime in.

Get organized: Have all of your sporting goods, toys and safety gear in an easily-accessible place, and then stock your kitchen with healthy snacks, ingredients and necessary tools. If the family is ready on both of these fronts, then the family is ready to be collectively healthy.

Track your progress: Every Sunday, sit down with your family and chronicle your good behaviors (how often did you go for a family walk after dinner) and your mistakes (going out for ice cream), which forces you -- as a group -- to see where you can make improvements in working towards a healthy family lifestyle.

Be realistic: A lifestyle change is a big goal, which is best reached by taking smaller, achievable steps one at a time. This will motivate everyone to continue on the journey towards health and happiness.

Rethink nutrition: While it is no secret that many children do not like fruits and veggies, the good news is that there are all kinds of ways to sneak the good stuff into your kids' diets and once they learn to like them, they will enjoy eating them.

Get creative: Getting fit does not mean having to go to the gym. There are many outdoor family activities that get your heart rate going and allow you to spend time with your kids. Just remember what you used to do when you were a kid growing up -- playing tag, hide and seek, soccer, baseball. And switch activities up often so your family does not get bored.

Stay hydrated: It's your job as parents to make sure your family is drinking enough fluids. Encourage them to drink more water daily, but also start thinking about serving more of the foods that are naturally hydrating, such as watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupes, cucumbers and plums. You can get creative about your H2O intake by making ice pops using low-sugar fresh fruit juice, and bringing a round out every few hours when the kids are playing outside.

Be committed: Transforming your family's bad habits into good ones might seem entirely overwhelming, so shift your attitude to "one-change-at-a-time" approach. Success does not happen overnight, but in one little burst of effort at a time.

Make it fun: The most important thing while you embark on this journey is to remember to have fun! Smile with each other more often and give your family members compliments as much as possible. Instead of getting grumpy about something someone did, ask that person to go with you on a walk to talk about it.

Want more information on how to keep your family healthy? Check out these kid-friendly nutrition tips.