Making Fitness a Family Activity

Studies have shown that children shape their attitudes about exercise by looking at their role models such as friends, siblings, and PARENTS! Showing your children that exercise and fitness activities can be fun is a great way to help ensure they will lead a more active lifestyle. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics children should be getting at least one hour of exercise everyday. After a long day of work one of the last things you want to think about after coming home is going to exercise. This is because people typically think of exercising as rigorous activity like running laps or lifting weights. It doesn’t have to be that way!

Doing activities as a family has many benefits for parents and children from the physical exercise to the added bonus of spending quality time together doing fun activities. The key is picking activities that the whole family will have fun doing. America’s Authority on Fitness came out with 10 physical activities for families that were really great!

1. Walking – Take the whole family on a walk around the neighborhood or a local destination. Try walking to the park or your community pool if it’s not too far away instead of driving.
2. Swimming – An effective workout for the entire body, swimming is an appropriate activity for a variety of fitness levels.
3. Bicycling – On the street or on the trails, bicycling is a terrific activity for all ages. Don’t forget that everyone needs to wear a helmet.
4. Canoeing or Kayaking – If you have access to water, canoeing or kayaking can be a blast and a great upper-body workout. Of course, life jackets are a must for all ages.
5. In-line Skating – Shoes on wheels may keep your family moving at the same speed and make getting places a bit more fun. Don’t forget to wear protective gear like wrist guards and helmets to prevent injuries.
6. Beach Games – Build a sandcastle or play in the surf. Running around in the sand all day lets you get in your exercise while you’re having fun.
7. Team Sports – Games such as doubles tennis or two-on-two basketball are great for smaller groups while touch football, softball and volleyball are fun family activities that can accommodate a larger group.
8. Park Games – Toss around a football or Frisbee in a safe and wide-open space or take advantage of the park’s facilities such as playgrounds and obstacle courses.
9. Hiking – Pack a healthy lunch and head out into the great outdoors for a hike. Hiking is a great workout and you also have the opportunity to take advantage of the beauty of nature.
10. Lawn Games – Set up croquet or badminton in your backyard or turn on the sprinklers for an instant water park on a hot summer day.

Hope you and your children have fun with these! If your family does different activities please post below and let us know!