Family leans on each other as they strive toward a healthy lifestyle

Getting the family together for dinner on a daily basis is a chore in itself. Over the past 20 years the frequency of family dinners has decreased by 33 percent.

Gone are the days of the traditional American family dinner. You know, when mom stayed home with the kids waiting for dad to arrive after an eight hour shift so they can all sit at their white linen covered table to indulge in some form of meat, potatoes and veggies. Instead, it's been replaced by a frantic scramble for something resembling a meal as both parents arrive home from work. In a study done by NPR, 46 percent of those surveyed said eating together on a regular basis was too difficult to achieve.

Well, meet the Cornicellos – the family who upped the ante on quality family time.

It's 5:30 p.m. on a Wednesday night at the Shoppes of Cross Keys plaza in Sicklerville, N.J. as the family of six parks their silver minivan.

There are plenty of places to eat here, all of them prepping for the impeding dinner rush, but this family is more interested in a fast heart rate than fast food.

For the past eight months, they've been working out together at Anytime Fitness at least three nights a week.

Donna Cornicello wanted to find a gym that was open 24 hours to cater to her busy schedule as a wife and mother of four. After a bit of research and lengthy conversation with Anytime owner Anthony Jones, she and husband Michael decided to get memberships for Donna and their two oldest daughters, Charlotte, 19, and Emma, 16, for Christmas two years ago.

It turned out to be a great investment, and just the catalyst needed to change the attitude of the entire family.

"My sister was the one that would yell at me if I was doing something wrong at the gym. She would really drive me," Emma said.

The three ladies became dedicated to training. They even began working out with a personal trainer a few times a month to keep things fresh and learn some new exercises. They were officially adopting a new member into their family – a healthy lifestyle.

"The gym has a lot to do with it. The atmosphere here is fun and relaxing. You don't feel like you're beneath anyone," Donna said.

Last year, Charlotte left for college, but Donna and Emma continued to go. Over the summer their son Nick, 8, told his mother he, "wanted to get healthy, too."

Nick's twin sister Sophia – who adamantly points out she is 8 and a half – also wanted to work out. She didn't want her brother to do it alone because she does love him "in the deep, deep, deep part of my heart." Ah, sibling love. It's precious.

The twins work out at the kid's camp the gym runs while Donna and Emma do their own workout together. Now the only component missing was dad.

Last year, Michael lost a kidney to a bout with cancer. It was a difficult road to recovery, but once he felt up to it he joined his family at the gym. In fact, most of the family has dealt with some kind of health issue in the past. They credit that as a driving factor they decided to pay closer attention to their wellness. Emma fought stage 4 cancer as a baby and Donna had radiation therapy for a thyroid condition.

"I'm still learning what I can and can't do. I wanted to get myself back in shape to what I was 10 years ago," Michael said.

For the most part the family all goes together – something I'm sure you don't see often, if ever, at your own health club. They lean on each other for the motivation needed to get up and get into the gym.

"Somebody's always pushing someone else to go. There are times I didn't feel like going and then Emma asks if I'm going to the gym. I can see she wants to go, so I'll go. Now it's the little ones. If they say, 'we want to go, we want to go,' and if one of us doesn't feel like going we're like well, I guess we're going now. And then we all go together," Donna said.

"It's usually him," Sophia points to her brother.

The most rewarding part is they're seeing results from the work they've been putting in.

"Donna has lost a ton of weight. She only trains with me a few times now, but she comes by herself all the time. It's cool, you can see her and Emma kick started the whole thing for the family," trainer Paul Painter said.

Over the past year and half Donna has lost 42 pounds while Emma has lost 20.

Regardless of how many times they go to the gym, they still find the time to sit down together for dinner every night. Their passion for fitness has led to making more conscientious choices at the dinner table. Donna no longer fries anything and they have cut back on pasta and rice, opting to add more vegetables to their plates.

"For the kids, once you get them into that routine of working out and they know they're getting healthy. They make better food choices. You'll hear them say, 'can I have a yogurt or orange,' instead of candy," Donna said.

The Cornicello's understand that you need to set an example for your kids to follow. They even offer up advice to any families looking to make the transition toward better overall health.

"You have to do it for yourself, but you also have to show you kids at the same time. If you're overweight, you can't tell your kid you can't eat dessert when you're not doing anything for yourself. So you have to do it together. You have to teach your kids that you want to be healthy, that you want them to be healthy, that everyone has to be on the same page," Donna said.

It's truly inspiring seeing people who understand they need to put in the effort to achieve the goals they desire, but you don't need to be superior athletes or look like you belong on the cover of a magazine to live a healthy lifestyle.

"It feels more comfortable knowing your family is in the same place. The routine of going on a regular basis helps the adults that want to slack off and be lazy. It's like a helping hand," Donna said.

When asked if they had anything else to add Nick doesn't hesitate, "Yes," he says proudly, "I'm handsome."

Well, they do say confidence is a side effect of a healthy lifestyle.