You know what I have? Too little to do. Said no one in the DMV ever.
I was gonna say, what? Who are you speaking for?
We are Jerry and Claude on WGTS ninety one point nine.
I mean, let's face it. Life can be overwhelming. We got work, school, soccer practice, everything in between. Every family member is juggling way too much. And with so much happening, sitting down for a meal together, it can feel like it's impossible.
Yeah. So our guy, doctor Neil Roy, is the chief medical officer at Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center. He's with us to explore why making time for even one shared family meal is essential for improving overall family wellness. So, Doctor Roy, number one, again, thank you for joining us. But, why is it important to eat one meal together as a family?
We often don't think about connections as something that contributes to health and wellness. We often think medications and cholesterol and blood tests.
The reality is if you look at populations where people live long, fruitful, meaningful lives, it's really connections with other people. A family meal without distractions or interruptions has been shown time and time again to improve all physical biomarkers. Your blood pressure is better. Your sleep is better. It allows you to stay grounded in what matters, which is your family and spending time with others. So one really meaningful health related activity is just setting aside time every day for a meal with your family.
You know, Doctor Roy, we're just talking about this. Life is so busy. How do we even find the time to eat a meal together?
It's not easy without any question. And I think the most important part is prioritizing that. Something that's not prioritized and not scheduled around becomes very easy to forget about. We're so caught up with doing something that is urgent but not necessarily important that we forget about the things that are truly important but not necessarily as urgent. And then afterwards, you can even consider how to plan the next one right then and there. So if it's not every day and it's every other day, that's okay. Even if it's once a week or twice a week, that's better than not at all.
Alright. So aside from meals, what are some other ways families can improve overall wellness?
Family activities in terms of physical activities goes a really long way. Oftentimes we separate exercise and life. You know, we go to the gym, we exercise, we come home, live our life.
But if we live lives that are active with our families, we can combine the two and get the best of both worlds.
Those are great tips. I need them personally. Thank you, doctor Roy. If you want more on this Health Minute or other Health Minutes, find them on our website, WGTS919.com.
And as always, a big thank you to Adventist HealthCare for sponsoring the Health Minute.
