Here and now, I have the five secrets to a happy family. Because the more harmonious your family life is, the healthier you’ll be and the longer you’ll live. So, here are the five secrets.

• Cheer for each other. A study at Rutgers University found that the happiest families are the ones who say things like, “Good luck on your test today!” and “I know you can do it!” Kids who feel emotionally supported by their parents and their siblings are more likely to feel good about themselves. So, send an older brother to his younger sister’s volleyball game. Or ask how a test went.
• Traditions. Whether it’s making pancakes every Sunday or bedtime stories at night. According to psychologist Nancy Stinnett, author of Fantastic Families, the happiest families have rituals which create a sense of belonging and tradition that boost family intimacy.
• They show affection. Family therapist Richard Eyre wrote the book Teaching Your Children Values and he says happy families show lots of physical affection. They instinctively give pats on the back, and trade butterfly kisses. It’s also important for kids to see their parents being affectionate. It’ll have a lasting impression on them and help them when they grow up and have their own relationships.
• Happy families are spontaneous. Dr. Stinnett studied 16,000 families for 30 years and found that the happiest ones surprised each other with fun activities, like taking a day trip in the spur of the moment – or deciding after a tough day that it’s family movie night. 
• Sharing history. Research shows that when we share family history we strengthen bonds between family members.

Here are tips that’ll help get everyone under your roof in great shape, courtesy of Rodale Publishing.

• Kick the can; of soda that is! Soda is the single largest source of calories in our diet! That’s according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest. So, make the whole family swap sugary beverages for water. If you do this, each of you will consume almost 200 fewer calories a day. That means a 4-person family could drop up to 80 pounds total – or 20 pounds per person – in a year!
• Buy smaller plates. You know you need to watch the size of your portions, but psychologically, if your meal LOOKS small, you won’t feel as full. For example - if you put a sandwich on a dinner plate, it looks smaller and seems like you’re eating less than if you put that SAME sandwich on a salad plate. So serve everything on smaller plates and you’ll feel like you’re eating more. Try this trick: serve your meals over a bed of lettuce so the plate looks full. Restaurants do this all the time.
• Institute a 15-minute rule. Researchers found that just 15 minutes of moderate physical activity a day reduces your chance of being obese by 50 percent! So make it a family rule that there will be 15 minutes of play – whether it’s tossing a football or climbing all over Dad – before anyone sits in front of the TV. If you bump that rule to 30 minutes, everyone will burn around 240 calories – which is about the same amount you’d burn on a moderate bike ride.
• Be strict about bedtime. A University of Chicago study found that people who don’t get enough sleep have lower levels of the hormones that control appetite, putting them at risk for obesity. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that children ages 5 to 12 sleep for 10 to 11 hours, and that adolescents and adults get 8 to 9 hours. So plan your bedtimes accordingly.

Right now I have parenting advice from one of our favorite resources – columnist Hugh O’Neill. This time, he’s helping us get the most out of our family summer vacation. His advice:

• Give the kids the map. Explain the mileage scale and point out landmarks along the way. Then when you ask them, “How far until we get to the next town?” they’ll not only feel like they’re playing an important role in the navigation, they’ll be practicing their math skills.
• If they’re too young for map reading, avoid the “are we there yet” question by making the journey more vivid. Explain that the whole trip is the length of their body. Their toes are home base, and their head is the destination. Later on, they’ll get a feel for distance if they know you’re at their kneecaps or their armpits.
• Another family vacation tip from Hugh O’Neill: Always get one room. You’ve got separate rooms at home. The best moments of most vacations are at the end of the day when you’re all exhausted, hanging out on one bed, watching pay-per-view movies, eating pizza, and talking about who got the worst waterskiing enema of the day. Fall asleep with your 7 year old’s foot in your face. You won’t get that opportunity for long.
• On vacation, knowledge equals cash. Any kid who can tell you how the Grand Canyon was created gets $5. Chances are, your daughter’s just learned something she’ll never forget, and later when she wants a fiver for an ice cream, point out that you gave her $5 earlier. Win-win.
• Also, know this: Taste and memory are braided together. So eat locally at places that offer the food the region is known for. Even if the kids don’t like the food – that experience will be burned in their memory.
• Now, kids and grown-ups don’t have a lot in common – but here’s what’ll give you conversation starters for hours. Ride the rides with them. Reliving that “awesome drop” on the waterslide will be the common denominator between you.