Influencing healthy habits to loved ones can sometimes be a daunting task. From my personal experience, the ability to influence or to become influenced has much to do with comfort level. It is much easier to encourage change when we have a personal connection. The situation becomes more difficult when dealing with health matters, as emotions can play a huge role in communication. So here are a few ideas that you can keep in mind while trying to encourage healthy habits for the people in your life.

1. Set the example.

Be the example. Sometimes I think that it's natural for people to mock you and make sarcastic remarks towards unwanted change, and it's really them testing you. Just continue to do what you do and eventually you will begin to generate interest. Nobody likes to be sick, and if you're doing the the right things, people are going to ask what are you doing.

2.Don't force things onto people.

Nobody likes to have food shoved down their throats. The same goes for try to show someone good habits. As humans we have the gift of adaptation, and through gradual education we can implement effective change for newer healthier, habits.

Realize that you can't make people change if they do not want to change. It's one of the sad, hard facts of life, especially when we have the best intentions for loved ones. Do your best, have good intentions, and get help when needed.

3. Find areas of key interest.

Have a basketball fan in the family? Show them how holistic therapies such as acupuncture has been used by athletes such as Yao Ming from the Houston Rockets. Married to someone interested in soaps and television? Send them stories of life changing heath moments from well known celebrities. Don't use the stories that demonstrate a new fad diet or weight loss plan, but rather one of struggle triumph, and success. When you can integrate healthy lifestyle habits with daily interests, you're really combining the best of both worlds.

4. Leave out good tasting alternatives for already liked foods.

We all have different sensitivity in our taste buds, and if someone is already used to a particular good tasting food, it may be hard to help them to change. So help them by leaving out alternatives or suggest that they try something. You may want to be careful, for if someone tries a healthy snack and decides the taste is not to their liking then they may build up a resistant wall to what you have, no matter how healthy it is to the person. So try to present something that is healthy, delicious, and tingles the right taste buds.

Don't Quit

There are many resources and creative ideas available to you if you ask your health care provider. As an acupuncturist I've learned how to teach patients about new ways and concepts that they may not be familiar with. However, with an open mind and just the simple curiosity to learn more about the human body many people have gained a better understanding of the healing modality. The same can happen for the person you care about, and if it does then it will be all worth the effort.