Staying fit and healthy, as a family, is important for everyone’s health, from grandparents down to the newest member of the clan. There are numerous ways that families can stay fit together, including going on walks, running, dancing, sports and even with chores! Vacuuming your living room might be just the source of physical activity your home and mind requires, and if that doesn’t sound exciting to you, there are always a vast number of other options.
Families that teach their kids from a young age to stay physically active pave the way towards an active lifestyle. This, in turn, benefits adults by decreasing the chances they will face any of the health problems a lack of physical activity brings with it. This article provides more in-depth information about the fun ways families can stay active together.
Walk
Your source of physical activity doesn’t require you to be dangling upside down from anything. In fact, you don’t need to undergo any strenuous activity to stay active. Families, especially those that have kids, should get into the habit of going on nearly daily walks together. Why? Childhood obesity is currently an epidemic in the USA, and these walks can set an example of the need for regular exercise. To keep the children and everyone else interested, continuously choose new destinations for the weekly walks. Children will not be happy always going down the same route! By switching up the walk scenery, you are providing variety for the entire family. Keep it new and exciting to not lose interest.
Run
The next step up from walking is running. For a more serious workout that will even get you to break a sweat, run together as a family. Similar to walking, running has numerous health benefits. Firstly, running reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and is good for your heart. If this isn’t enough of a reason, running also improves people’s joints. Setting as little as 15 minutes aside a day to step out for a run will make a difference in everyone’s health. The good news about running is that it doesn’t matter where you are and it’s free. As long as you purchase a set of high-quality work out clothes, it doesn’t matter if you are home or on vacation. You can take up running from anywhere and stay fit. Change up the location of the run ever so often to keep it exciting, which is a similar idea to walking.
Dance
Dancing is one of the most fun methods of getting active. You can get the entire family sweating and laughing with some fun dance moves. For example, the macarena never gets old! It’s been out since the 1990s and is still played at parties. Don’t forget about the cha cha slide, YMCA, or chicken dance if you’re feeling extra silly. Depending on the family, learning how to salsa could be a better fit. Everyone has their preference, find yours as a family and get active while learning some killer moves. The good news is that you can show off your dance moves at future parties. It’s a win-win situation – you can stay active and learn a new skill.
Sports
There’s a reason that schools have a gym as part of their curriculum. Similar to running, sports are sure to get the entire family breaking a sweat. Choose anything from football to hockey, basketball, lacrosse, archery or other sports to do together as a family. The added bonus is that everyone will become star players with enough practice and can show off to friends and other family members. Once again, this source of physical activity is beneficial for various health-related reasons. Sports can help strengthen bones and ligaments and can prevent the symptoms of a torn meniscus. A torn meniscus is a sharp pain felt in the knee area and requires physical therapy to treat. A strain to the knee can cause this tear, such as suddenly lifting something heavy or due to playing a sport. An individual with weak knees is more likely to develop this. That is why physical activity and sports are in fact necessary to build up stamina and strength. Naturally, no one should start heavy right off the bat. Start off slow and work your way up, as you gain more stamina and strength. The only way to do so is by getting off your couch and hitting that court.
Chores
Chores are necessary and inevitable. However, families can kill two birds with one stone by doing their chores and staying active. While this activity isn’t enough to keep anyone healthy for the remainder of their lives, it does get people up and moving. Pick up your vacuum and clean your room. Dust off your counters, wipe the floors and clean behind every nook and cranny. The result will be a clutter-free and tidy home, as you will also gain some extra stamina. Your home will look as good as you feel. Doing chores together as a family will help move the process along and can make it more fun. You might as well play some music in the background while you are cleaning!
There are various kinds of physical activity, each with a different degree of difficulty. Walking and chores, for instance, will help get families moving but will not help build stronger bones the same way that running and sports do. It’s beneficial for families to choose a variety of exercises and switch it up. Perhaps one week everyone can go for a scenic walk together, whereas the next week everyone can take up archery or practice his or her basketball skills. There are a fitness preference and option for everyone, depending on personality. The one thing that can never be used as an excuse is time and location, considering walking and running can be done by anyone, anywhere. If you’re reading this article and have been due for some physical activity for a while, get up! This is your sign that it’s time to get active (just don’t forget to remind your entire family).