Healthy Activities to Enjoy Together as a Family
When it comes to staying active, people tend to overthink things. It’s not a question of how long or how hard a person exercises; anything is better than nothing, so there’s no need to engage in intense, physically draining exercises to keep the whole family fit and healthy. The best activities are those that are fun and can be done together to enhance and maintain family health. A few great examples include:
Enforce Screen-Free Time
It used to be that parents had to monitor and limit their kids’ TV-watching habits. Now, they have to contend with tablets, smartphones, computers and other devices too. Establishing a daily screen-free time is a great way to encourage the family to get moving. This period can be used to enjoy a variety of sports and activities as a group.
Try Backyard Sports and Games
There’s no need to leave home to enjoy fun family activities. Backyard games and sports like basketball, volleyball, croquet, bocce ball and even catch are fun for the whole family. By mixing things up regularly, no one will ever get bored.
Bring the Fun Indoors
During inclement weather, there’s no need to put family activities on hold. A family can try aerobics together by putting on a DVD, or they can get moving with a video game like Just Dance for the Nintendo Wii. Away from home, indoor malls and indoor play areas are great options too.
Do Yard Work Together
The kids might balk at first, but getting everybody in on the act of cleaning up and maintaining the yard can actually be a lot of fun. Mowing the lawn, shoveling the driveway and trimming the bushes are all physically demanding too, so everyone will get plenty of exercise while banding together to make the yard a nicer place.
Go for an Evening Walk
Eating dinner together as a family is a great way to maintain closeness. Once dinner is through, a nice routine to establish is to go for an evening stroll. Every member of the family can get in on the act, from infants to pets. In addition to keeping everyone active, walking around the block or even just down the street a ways will help create some incredible memories too.
When it comes to exercise, every little bit helps. Whether it’s a 10-minute daily walk or sporadic games and backyard activities, the family that exercises together stays healthy together.