Kids And Exercise Tips
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Activity is the other part of the equation when it comes to a healthy child. Healthy eating and daily activity really go hand in hand when it comes to being healthy.
The more your child enjoys the activities, the more he or she will want to do the activities. Kids, like us, also like variety. Find activities that your child enjoys and it won't be exercise, it will fun!
Here is a list of our activity tips to get you started
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motivate kids to want to be active
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find activities that they will enjoy
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find exercise that you can do as a family
List of "Get the Children Moving And Being Active" Tips
- Make a list of activities your kids like to do. Have kids pick an activity, then invite their friends! Being healthy is fun.
- You don’t need a gym to be active. Go for a brisk family walk.
- Try to walk 10,000 steps a day!
- Set aside time everyday for daily activity. Make it part of your family's routine.
- Share activity ideas with other parents.
- To avoid muscle injury, teach your kids to stretch their muscles.
- Set a timer to remind kids to take a 10 minute break away from the computer every hour.
- Children and teens need 1 hour of exercise each day to helps their growing bones, heart and overall health.
- Have a picnic in the park.
- Prioritize your To-Do list to schedule family exercise and plan ahead for healthy meals.
- Exercise can help increase your family's healthy “HDL” cholesterol.
- Try bowling, the batting cage or miniature golf for some family fun.
- All movement counts; Teach the kids to take the stairs instead of an elevator today.
- Take the kids to your local high school this weekend and run relay races around the track.
- This month celebrate the YMCA Healthy Kids. Be active!
- Get the kids connected with nature. Walk in the park, plant a tree, start your own garden.
- Play a simple game with the kids. Remember tag. Its fun and very active!
- Pump up your metabolism and build stronger muscles, bones and tendons with activities like jumping, dancing and jogging.
- Walking is the most popular exercise for adults. Teach your kids to walk for a healthy, daily activity.
- Promote activity rather than exercise to kids.
- Exercise has even been proven to help kids sleep better and reduce stress.
- Hiking can add excitement into your family's walking routine.
- Build healthy habits from their favoritie activities.
- Indoor workouts can help keep your family fit through winter and present an opportunity to try new exercises.
- Commercials offer an opportunity to be active. Have your kids do some jumping jacks during the breaks.
- Basketball is a fun activity that the whole family can do.
- Start the day with a family stroll around the block.
- Doing laundry, gardening, walking with the dog all count as being active.
- Grab a friend and challenge each other to walk a little farther each day.
- Moderate to intense daily exercise helps maintain weight for the whole family.
- Play catch is good fun activity and teaches eye to hand coordination.
- Walk to the nearest parks where they have jungle gyms, you might even want to try going down the slide.
- Make the backyard or front yard into an obstacle course.
- The heart’s a muscle too. Give it a workout.
- Walking in the snow uses more muscles and burns more calories.
- Split exercise up throughout the day (20 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes at lunch, etc). It all adds up!
- Keep it fun. Exercise for children should be more of a game and less of a chore.
- Plan for extra time and walk with your child to school today.
- It's Autumn and the leaves are changing color. Take the kids on a nature walk and see how many different colored leaves you can find. Collect leaves and rocks that your child can use to make a collage.
- Praise children when they are active. Show your kids the importance of exercise.
- Keep a physical activity chart on your refrigerator.
- If you child is not into sports, it's best not to pressure them. There are many other activities they can choose from that are not competitive.
- Children like things that are familiar. Repeat favorite activities often, adding slight variations.
- The greatest influence on a child’s health is their parents. The entire family needs to get up off the couch and move. Find a way to get sweaty together.
- Taking the kids shopping, increase activity by taking stairs instead of the escalator or elevators
- Take a break from the stress for a brisk 10-minute walk
- After a big meal, take a family walk and burn extra calories. It will also help you digest.
- Visit a swimming park
- Miniature golf
- Talk about physical activity as a fun lifelong way to take care of your body and balance
your food and energy, rather than viewing it as a chore
- Start small, gradually adding new activities to your routine
- Set aside time each day for physical activity
- Organized sports are great but there are many other activities children can do to be active
that are not competitive. Let them select or choose as a family
- If your child likes to climb, head for the nearest neighborhood jungle gym
- Let each child take a turn choosing the activity of the day or week
- Rain or sunshine, turn on your child's favorite music and dance in the living room.
- Ask them to decide how they would like to use their 1-2 hours of “screen time”
- Avoid putting a television in your children's bedrooms
- Keep the computer in a family area.
- Sledding
- Play Duck, Duck, Goose or London Bridge
- Fly a kite on a grassy field or beach
- Ice skating party
- Potato sack races
- Wheel barrel races
- Have family contests: who can jump rope the longest?
- Stretch like a cat.
- Hop like a bunny.
- Run like a gorilla.
- Walk like a spider.
- Do jumping jacks together after dinner
- Go on a family bike ride through the neighborhood.
- Limit other sedentary activities, such as text messaging or chatting on the phone
- If your child likes to read, walk or bike to the neighborhood library for a book
- Take a look at a list of summer programs at your local recreation department or youth center. These sessions will encourage a routine for physical activity and may even introduce your children to a new sport.
- Create sidewalk art with chalk and play hopscotch
- Gear up the bikes and map out a nice trail ride that emphasizes the beautiful outdoors.
- Celebrate accomplishments with fun activities instead of food or extra TV time
- Set up an obstacle course in your backyard or at a playground. Use a variety of obstacles to challenge individual skills. Let the kids get creative with incorporating some of their favorite sporting equipment.
- For those extra hot summer days plan for indoor activities such as bowling, lazer tag, or roller skating at a local rink. Even try at home video games such as Dance, Dance Revolution or the Wii fit.
- Invite the neighborhood kids to play in an organized game or set up a family night with all the kids and adults.
- Get laced up with sneakers and play classic favorites such soccer, baseball, basketball, tennis, football, volleyball or even Frisbee.
- Touch football party
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