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Planning for regular physical activity can actually allow you to spend more time with your family and can help your children develop the habit of an active lifestyle. When you set a good example, your family is more likely to follow your lead.
Here are some simple tips on how to include activity while you enjoy time spent with your family:
Create an “Active Family” Night:
Make Family Night fun and active. Go bowling or play miniature golf. Have a dancing karaoke party or play musical chairs with the children. You can have fun doing these indoors or out.
Go Natural:
Incorporate more natural activity into daily routines, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking or riding a bike when possible, parking farther away at the mall or grocery store and taking a walk after dinner as a family.
Make Chores Fun:
Make family chores more fun by doing them together. Schedule a “car wash day” on the first Saturday of each month or a “spruce up the yard day” on the last Saturday of each month. This way the chores will get done while you spend time with your children.
Make Rewards Part of the Plan:
Reinforce the healthy changes that you and your family are making by creating a reward system. Set up a plan such as a family outing to the movies or a ballgame.
Give Back Together:
Organize a neighborhood track meet or relay: skip, hop, run, race and jump. Or, you can pick your favorite charity and sign up for a walk or run as a family.
These strategies can get the entire family moving and help everyone develop an active lifestyle that can last a lifetime. |
