Fitness Activities With Your Family!

While everyone has a busy schedule, there is always time to fit in some good physical activity in the day! Sometimes you have to squeeze it in, but you can always incorporate it into your daily life.
Here's some tips to encourage your family to GET ACTIVE!

* How much? Aim for 60 Minutes.
Kids especially need time for physical activity to stay healthy (and keep energy levels balanced!). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest 60 minutes of physical activity per day. It doesn't take much for kids to get active - jumping rope, running (examples: tag, red rover, spider-in-the-web, ghosts in the graveyard, follow the leader), sports like basketball, football, soccer, dancing, riding bikes, skating, swimming... all promotes cardiovascular endurance and health in your kids' life. Remember: The more you are involved in your children's health, the more often they will model after it! If they see their mommy and daddy going for walks and bike rides on Saturdays, encouragement to find a favorite sport so their child can have their own "cheerleader", and just incorporated exercise in the everyday, they are more likely to consider a part of their daily life as well.

* PLAN some family fitness time!
As mentioned before - be a model for your kids! Plan Saturday afternoons for a bike ride/rollerblading on a nature trail, take your kids sledding/snowboarding/skiing out in the back yard or community grounds, incorporate exercise in a vacation (such as caving, hiking, places with lots of walking, a hotel with a swimming pool, rock climbing, take breaks during the drive to stop at parks to run around, etc), have lots of "kid exercise" equipment such as hula hoops, jump ropes, balls, etc. in a space outside, maybe even a room with a good amount of space for dancing or playing.

* Move throughout the day!
Don't have time as a busy mom to do many exercises? There's no excuse!

Drop and do 20 first thing out of bed.

Try squats, lunges, and/or leg lifts while brushing your teeth

Lift your towel over your head and stretch to the left for 8 seconds, then the right

Do isometric exercises throughout the day. Examples include: Pulling in your abs - think of getting your belly button towards your spine - and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat. Squeeze your legs together when you are sitting (it works your inner thighs) and hold for 10 seconds. Put a ball between your legs and squeeze tight for an even better inner thigh workout. Want a nice bum? Tighten your glutes for 20 seconds. As always, repeat throughout the day. For toned arms, put your hands in a "prayer" position and push together as tight as you can for 10 seconds. Congratulations, you've just put in some good exercise in your day!

During commercials of your favorite shows, do 10 each of push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and lunges. Get the family involved and have a contest to see who has better arm, ab, or lower body strength!

Walk during your lunch break. 10 minutes here, 10 minutes there adds up!

If you have an infant, take them for a walk in the stroller! They love to experience all the different things outside. Plus, you'll get toned legs and possibly a sleeping baby when you're finished.

Have a little energy while the kids are taking a nap? Do an exercise video! I personally suggest 10-Minute Solutions series, Tae-Bo, Denise Austin's videos (for beginners and intermediate exercisers), Pilates, Yoga, Turbo Jam, and Zumba.

Any suggestions? Please feel free to add to this fitness list for more great ideas to squeeze in fitness everyday - for you AND your family!

Until next time, stay well!