Michael: “What have we always said is the most important thing?”

George Michael: “Breakfast.”

Michael: “Family.”

George Michael: “Family. Right. I thought you meant out of the things you eat.”

~Quote from Arrested Development (one of our favorite sitcoms!)

While the Bluths might not be the ideal family, I tend to agree with Michael (see quote). Spending time with family this weekend was refreshing and I was a little sad to leave. We also got to spend some time with Sherif’s family, which was really nice as well. Sherif and I left today and just got back home a couple of hours ago…

The plane that brought us home

I truly believe that family is really important when it comes to healthy living. A recent study (discussed here in a Time™ wellness blog) even found that children with asthma who sat at dinner with their respective families every day or almost everyday had significantly improved lung function even within a short period of time! I didn’t think the physical impact was that substantial! (Here is the original scientific study – the link will allow you to see the abstract at least, unless you have an institutional journal subscription through your school or workplace).

Another article mentions a variety of benefits to family meal time at home. These include better eating habits, a more balanced intake of healthy nutrients, improved school performance for kids, among other benefits. The article also gives some nice suggestions for simple healthy meals that can still be enjoyed together when time is tight.

Hopefully, we will be able to spend more substantial time with family over the next couple of months! Now moving on to an entirely different topic: I plan to resume my workout routine tomorrow. Although I missed a few days, I won’t let that disrupt my schedule, and I’m going to try to pick up with this week’s schedule as normal.

Also, I’m excited to update you tomorrow with more details about last Friday’s conference and my presentation on the relationship between blogging and feminist theory.