Healthy fitness habits start in the home. With many children across the country struggling with weight issues and an increased risk of childhood obesity, parents need to be focused on setting fitness examples for their children. Family exercise can serve as bonding time between parents and their children, and it helps establish health habits that can last a lifetime. Here are five great activities for families of any shape or size.
1. Go for a bike ride
Kids of all ages can go for bike rides, even those that are still using training wheels. If you live close to public parks and local biking trails, take the family out for a casual ride that everyone can enjoy. Plus, biking is a lifelong activity that’s easy to do with people of different fitness levels.
2. Family hikes and walks
Whether you’re walking around the neighborhood or going for a hike in the mountains, walking is more than just a form of exercise—it’s also a way to experience the world. Hiking may hold particular appeal to kids interested in plants, animals, or other aspects of nature, and the variety of settings for these hikes makes it tough for kids to get bored.
3. Take a trip to the beach
The beach might seem like the prime setting to be lazy, but there are plenty of great activities to escalate heart rates and get the family moving. From swimming and surfing to flying kites and tossing a football, the beach is actually a diverse setting that encourages activity in many different forms. If you have kids of different ages and different interests, the beach is likely to satisfy everyone.
4. Park far away, and take the stairs
Sure, it’s not necessarily an activity, and your kids might not think it’s much fun, either, but simple changes to your family’s habits can increase activity and fitness without much effort. When you go out as a family, whether it’s to the movie theater, a restaurant, the mall, or another fun getaway, incorporate some simple fitness habits by parking far away from the building instead of searching for close parking. Also, take the stairs when an elevator is available. When you can’t fit in time for full-on fitness activities, this is a good way to get everyone moving.
5. Throw an outdoor party
When the weather’s nice, consider throwing a party outside for your friends and the friends of your kids. You can set up fun outdoor activities like croquet and badminton, or you can simply toss some balls around and take advantage of the open air. Kids aren’t likely to sit still when they’re outdoors, anyway, so this is a simple alternative that doesn’t take too much work.
Whatever your family decides to do, the important thing is exercising and enjoying an active lifestyle as a family. In the process, you’ll be teaching your children meaningful lessons and instilling them with healthy habits.
