MAKING FAMILY FITNESS A PRIORITY

As summer approaches, many people are planning to get more active. This year, I challenge you to make your resolution a FAMILY affair. Not only does involving your spouse and kids in your health and activity goals keep you motivated, but it also serves another purpose — to be a healthy role model for your kids.

Here are a few tips to help you and your family get (or stay) healthy and active this summer!

Environmental Issues

I know you are busy. Nowadays we have our kids in all kinds of activities so we are always on the go. Get rid of unhealthy snacks in your house and replace them with healthier options like nuts, dried fruit, and smoothies.
When you are out shopping, volunteering at school, and working, park your car further away in the parking lots and walk. Don’t be one of those people who sits in the middle of the parking lot waiting for a close spot to open up! Park and walk. You would be amazed how much those burned calories add up.
Get outside and play with your kids. Whether it is a family walk (in the summer months we take one every day after dinner ... great photo opportunity too) or an informal game of baseball in the yard, you are burning calories and showing kids that exercise is fun!

Nutrition Tips

Make water your default drink. Don’t automatically reach for the soda. If you don’t like water, add lemon juice or buy one of those sugar-free powders to flavor it. Or even switch to tea. I made the switch from soda to diet green tea a couple years ago and it was one of the best things I have done. I instantly felt the boost in energy.
Make dietary changes. Little things like baking instead of frying, having a salad with more meals (no more than one tablespoon of dressing though), and replacing cheese on your sandwiches with a veggie really pay off. (Reducing the amount of salad dressing from three tablespoons to one will lead to a savings of more than 1000 calories a week – and the loss of about 16 pounds in a year!)
Enforce family meal times. Our teenagers are always on the go. My 16 year old would drink soda and eat fast food at every meal if I let her. Know that your teenager is eating at least one healthy meal a day by enforcing family meals together. Not only will it reassure you and be great for your teens health, but it’s a chance to talk about the day's events and bond.

Kid Fitness

Shut off the TV, Internet, and video games. Limit your child’s time on electronic devices. Eventually they will find better ways to spend their time. With a little prodding from Mom and Dad, the gadget-free time can be spent doing something physical, like the following suggestions.
Go for a family walk. Talk about your day, alternate family members and race down to each corner. Make it a themed walk. For instance, a nature ABC walk, a family questions everyone must answer walk, a color walk, etc. Even the older kids start to enjoy these times together.
Go to the playground. But don’t just sit on the sidelines with a book. Play tag on the jungle gym or pretend you are on an underwater adventure together. You won’t need my ideas, because I guarantee your kids imaginations will take over.
Family Dance Off. Just turn on some music and have a dance contest. We do something like this at my house called Freeze Dance. We turn on the music station of our cable and dance like crazy. Whoever has the remote control has to change the channel to another station and during the 3 second pause between stations everyone freezes. If you move you are out. We run through all the different music stations and then start over again. It’s one of our favorite ways to exercise together.
Turn the video games on! Okay, I know I said to shut them off, but nowadays both the Xbox Kinect and Nintendo WII have a ton of games that get you up and moving. I played "Star Wars" with my kids for a half hour one day and I could feel the burn the day after. Trust me, this works.
Join a local family fun center. If you are willing to invest financially in your family’s health, join your local parks and recreation center or YMCA. Places like this have a great variety of fun activities for families.

There are so many benefits to family fitness. The time bonding with our children is wonderful. Kids have a healthy role model so they grow up healthier. There are a ton of FREE things to do so no need to join a gym. Best of all, the dreaded exercise time becomes more like play time.

For more great Family Fitness ideas and information, please check out our Macaroni Kid Family Fitness Edition.

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