Every family should prioritize fitness, and studies have shown that active parents raise active kids. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity for children and 150 minutes every week for adults. Physical activity keeps the heart, the brain, and the general body performing optimally. However, even an hour of physical activity can feel like a lot. Here are a few ways to make it fun and exciting for everyone.
- Plant a garden together
Gardening activities such as seed planting, digging, and weeds pulling can help build upper body strength for everyone, including your kids. Additionally, your family will likely eat the vegetables they help grow at home. Whether it’s a few pots on your balcony or an acre of land, gardening is excellent for keeping the family active and healthier. Aside from harvesting the many benefits of growing vegetables, aromatic herbs, and colorful flowers, studies have shown gardening is excellent for managing stress, family bonding, and instantaneous fun.
- Dance during commercial breaks
Dancing is a safe and healthy activity. Indeed, it is essential to limit screen time at home, but you can complement this with something fun and healthy. Consider creating a family rule where everybody gets up and dances around during commercial breaks when watching TV. Dancing can also be an excellent brain break after a long day at work and exhaustion from school activities. Anybody who fails to get off the couch during a commercial break will have to perform their least-enjoyable household chore for at least a week.
- Create fun family outings
You can take a walk together with your family any day of the week in the neighborhood. Better yet, go on nature-filled walking trails in the nearby park. Family outings can benefit your family by lowering diabetes risks, improving your heart health, and keeping a healthy weight. A few things you may need for a family hiking expedition include a backpack, light lunch, and plenty of water. To make this more fun for your kids, plan a family fitness vacation or consider hiking areas where they can spot birds and some other animals. You can also plan occasional trips to tourist sites like Disneyland, which involves a lot of walking and physical activity. While a family fitness vacation can be fun, it requires some work and thorough planning, from finance to transportation. Fortunately, it is possible. For example, this Stanley Bae travel budget breakdown can be helpful if you plan on visiting Disney with your family.
- Involve everyone in household activities
It is easy to think of sporting activities as the only way of getting physical activity. However, keeping active can be as simple as walking, and the benefits can be enormous. If you are spending more time at home, consider ways everybody can collaborate in helping with family chores such as washing the car, vacuuming, gardening, and walking the pet. You can even make this more creative and fun with activities such as home decoration, remodeling, and some painting jobs.
Involving your family in a health-promoting lifestyle is a must for every parent. And while some of the tips mentioned above seem too easy, you burn more calories when moving than sitting. So you want to be as active as possible to keep your body, mind, and brains in top shape.
