Rather than spending cherished family time in front of the television, head outdoors for a brisk walk around the neighborhood. To ensure optimal health, adults and kids alike should engage in physical activity most days of the week. With a bit of creativity, you can turn these fitness goals into a fun family challenge. Fitness walking as a family can help you find ways to work together and learn to achieve set goals.
Identify Goals
The American Heart Association and American College of Sports Medicine note that both adults and kids should aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise every day. Before initiating your fitness walking plan, sit down with your entire family to make an agreement with one another. For this plan to be successful, each family member must be willing to participate. Establish your ultimate fitness walking goals. For example, you might decide to walk 30 minutes per day, 10 miles per week or a total of 30 miles in one month.
Set a Schedule
Ensure your family's success by scheduling your fitness goals into your calendar. Between going to work and school, doing homework, participating in extracurricular activities and keeping the house intact, a family's schedule can be quite hectic. Once your fitness goals are established, set a realistic schedule for achieving those goals. If you plan on walking 10 miles per week, set aside 30 to 60 minutes each day for family fitness walking. If you have a particularly busy week, set aside a large block of time on the weekend to make up for the missed days.
Make It Fun
Along with dedication, fun and enjoyment are the keys to ensuring successful completion of your fitness goals. If your family thinks fitness walking is boring, they may not stick with the plan. Instead, allow a bit of creativity to make your walks fun. Rather than walking around the neighborhood every day, spend some time at a local park or nature preserve. If you have free time on the weekend, walk around a neighboring town and explore the sights.
Track Your Progress
As you work toward your goals, track your progress so the entire family can review what they have achieved. Whether you use a dry erase board or electronic calendar to monitor your progress, mark down the amount of time spent walking and the distance completed each day. If your family is not familiar with regular exercise, allow each family member one or two "cheat days." Again, keep track of how many cheat days each person uses. Once your family reaches your ultimate goal, celebrate together. Avoid using unhealthy foods or sedentary activities as a reward. Instead, take the family to a local amusement park or plan a fun vacation. Most importantly, make sure that every family member understands the importance of working hard to achieve your goals.
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