Getting Exercise as a Family

With the New Year coming up many have perhaps “resolved” to get healthier and exercise more. Why not make it a family affair?

Many children nowadays are suffering from health problems just like adults because they don’t eat right or get enough exercise.  As parents it is our responsibility to serve them with high quality, healthy foods at meal and snack times.  It is also our duty to influence them to get regular exercise as well to keep their body healthy instead of letting them become couch potatoes or zombies.

Regular exercises are not given much importance in this generation because kids are more involved in the modern methods of recreation such as television, computers, Play Station, and other high technology toys.  I am not big on restricting these things because I don’t want to give these things that kind of power…but I do believe in giving them some tough competition. We can make exercise a daily family activity that they won’t want to miss.
 
Kids should keep moving most of the time because this is essential for their body development and for their proper metabolism.  To keep them on the move, encourage the whole family to participate in daily exercises.  Get them up, get them out, and make them have fun. 

Normal activities can be used as exercises. Activities such as jumping, running, dancing, biking or walking, skating or swimming are all ways of getting some exercise.  You can plan for an outing that involves some of these physical activities or just play a simple game of hide and seek, Frisbee throwing, tag, or playing catch.  You can also participate as a family at some community fitness events like charity walks or fun runs. It is even easy to turn ordinary chores into fun and enjoyable games like dancing while washing the dishes. My kids like to accompany me to the mall to walk around and around. They also love to take nature walks and hikes. These things are fun and FREE. We also like to go bowling, play mini-golf, and play laser tag as a family.

To come up with ideas you may want to look for a book specific to your state filled with stuff that is fun for kids to do. I have a book called Kids Love Ohio and it is great…maybe there is one for your area. Look for books about natural wonders in your area as well.

Getting exercise as a family also helps kids to cope up with circumstances or problems that may come their way as they grow.  The healthy and active lifestyle and the soundness of mind as the result of having a regular physical exercise, and the strong support of the family, would strengthen every member of the family to face the pressures and challenges of life.

Doing exercises with the family not only generates health and wellness of the physical body; it will also deepen the family ties, strengthen the family values and enjoy the pleasure of the company and the building of some extra special memories.  If the whole family is active then they will all share in the health benefits of regular exercises and the joy of being together. It is the ultimate 2 for 2 deal.

So how will you resolve to “get active” as a family this year?

Recommended reading: Hiking & Backpacking With Kids & Camping With Kids