Fall Turkey Trot 2012
I’m running around Chicago, participating in Blogher13 today, hustling a bit here and there and working with the awesome team that is MinuteClinic while finding ways to spread health. Today’s post is brought to you by guest contributor Sara Dawkins and her take on how to stay fit in just a small amount of time. A little bit can go a long way!
When it comes to getting and staying fit many of us feel overwhelmed by the idea. Of course being fit means you have to spend hours at the gym or run for miles or something drastic like that, right? Wrong! We make the idea of getting fit so large and overwhelming that we give up before we even began, but fitness is not about the hours you spend or the miles you run. Instead it is about making healthy choices and living a lifestyle that makes your body and mind feel great. Here are some ways I have made fitness a part of my family’s lives just five minutes at a time:
- Floor exercises – Let’s get real. No one wants to stop what they are doing to exercise. But making exercise a habit is a great way to stay fit without a lot of fuss. In my household we practice fitness before and after dinner. Before dinner we all lie down on the living room floor and do our floor exercises. Starting out at one hundred sit-ups we have worked our way up little by little until we can do a hundred sit-ups without breaking a sweat. Then we do leg lifts. Starting at twenty we worked our way up in those too. Then push-ups and then stretches. Even just five minutes of this before dinner helps us to fight off tiredness and get to the table feeling happy and ready to eat a meal together.
- Walking – After dinner we go for a walk. It can be as long or as short as we feel. Some days Grandma is not up to a long walk so we go to the corner and come back. Other days the kids want to take the dog somewhere new so we will check out a different part of the neighborhood. By keeping it flexible it stays fun and a time to be together rather than a hardship or chore. Even a few minutes of walking is better than nothing.
- Bike rides – Bike rides are another fun way to get kids happy about fitness. Not far from our home is a small park with a playground. On the weekends the kids and I ride our bikes all the way to the park. They get off and play with their friends and I circle the park on my bike. We are both active and happy and staying fit without a struggle. For the more adventurous family you can also take the kids to a bike trail. There are lots of them not too far from where we live. Make sure the bike trails you choose do not cross any busy streets and then relax and enjoy the ride. It is a lot of fun for kids to ride in the dirt and trees rather than on the cement. If you go after a rainy day they can even splash through puddles. Messy but fun!
- Nature – Speaking of bike trails, we love nature. Hiking is a great way to spend time with your family in the great outdoors and stay fit. I have walked five miles with my kids without a single whine just because we were enjoying the scenery. Point out birds and listen for their songs, keep your eyes open for lizards and bugs and teach your kids the names of the trees and other flora. I love walking trails with bridges and ponds because the kids have so much fun peering over the side to look for tadpoles and turtles. You can even get a guide to help you know your way along the trails and find the coolest things to see. Wade in the creeks, cool off in the thick trees and identify the animal footprints you come across. It is fun for little kids and older ones alike.
- Games – If you really want to make fitness fun try to make a game of it. From active video games like Kinect and Wii Sports to simple classic favorites like Simon Says and Red Light, Green Light your kids can have fun and stay fit at the same time. Even for birthday parties we like to keep kids active an entertained. Set up a relay race, play Ultimate Frisbee, do a fast paced scavenger hunt and more. There are so many fun things to do with kids that keep them active and having a blast.
- Food – Beyond just staying active there are also considerations to being fit that have to do with what kind of foods you choose to eat. In my home I do not do an all or nothing approach. My kids can have sodas and candies sometimes, but they usually choose not to. Instead of forbidding them from eating bad foods and thus making it more tempting for them I try to help them to understand why foods are bad. By explaining things to them they get a grasp of what is healthy and what is not. I also made it a habit from a young age to have healthy snacks available for them to grab and go. When all you have on hand is a bag of chips of course they will go for that. But if you offer them a sliced banana and apples or a bag of trail mix instead then they will choose the tastier option. Another great way to get children to eat healthier is to have them get involved in preparation. When a child helps make the meal they are more likely to eat it. You can also encourage healthy eating by helping them to grow their own food. Beans, tomatoes and the like are easy for kids to grow in small spaces and they will love to pick and eat what they have helped create. By encouraging these habits even my older kids choose to make snacks like apples and peanut butter or chocolate covered strawberries instead of candy bars or Cheetos.
- Drink – Last but not least is the sneakiest of them all. What you drink carries more impact than you would think. A soda here and there is not usually an issue but I have found that the more sweet drinks you have the more you crave them. Do not think that using artificial sweeteners helps. That sweet flavor creates the same connections in your brain. You might not get the calories but you still end up wanting more and more. Instead try to push water. Just plain water is the best drink you can have for your health. Of course if you are sweating a lot you need electrolytes but for day to day use water is the best. To encourage kids to drink water try not to make it optional. When you are out and about take along a bottle or two of cold water. At the movies, in the car or after school make water the only drink around. As you drink it you build up a desire for it and nothing satisfies like water. You can even water down juices and non-carbonated drinks to cut down the sugar and make them better for you.
These are just a few of the ways that I help my family to stay fit and healthy without having to make drastic changes to our lifestyle. It is not about the hours that you put in rather it is about making small healthy habits that will last a lifetime.
Author Bio
Sara is an active nanny as well as an active freelance writer. She is a frequent contributor of http://www.nannypro.com/. Learn more about her.
