A fit family is a healthy family….
A healthy family is a happy family…
And what better way to spend a sunny afternoon than engaged in a fit family activity!
The possibilities are truly endless and every family can find something that suits them.
But just in case you need a little help, here are some fun ways to turn a casual family outing into a fun workout the whole family will enjoy.
Playground Obstacle Course
The next time your kids are begging you to go to the playground, put on a pair of sweats, grab your running shoes and get ready for a fun family workout! Use every structure that is available to you to create a fun and challenging obstacle course for all. From monkey bars to swings, climbing wall to slides, each playground offers so many possibilities you can get as creative as you want. Change the speed of your parcour or the intensity of each move to challenge yourself as much as you want. Most of all have fun!
Follow the Leader
Whether you find yourself at your local park, the beach, or the mall, a game of “follow the leader” is a fun way to stay fit together. Lunges, log walks, side to side hops, push ups, spiderman crawls… your bag of tricks is truly bottomless so get out there and get moving! Let each member of the family take turns being the leader and ask each person to come up with an original skill rather than repeat what’s already been done.
Hill or Stair Sprints
Find a hill or a set of twenty to thirty stairs and use the HIIT approach to fitness to create a fun and challenging workout. Sprint up as fast as you can, then walk down to catch your breath and recuperate before you sprint up again. Turn this into a healthy competition by challenging your family members to the most repetitions. It’s a great way to push everyone just a little bit past their comfort zone and make sure you maximize your return on this fun workout.
Jump Rope Wars
There’s a reason so many athletes incorporate jumping rope into their fitness plan. It’s a fast, fun (oh yes!) and super efficient way to bring up your heart rate and burn fat! Set a goal of jumps per minute, increase or lower your speed, jump high, on one foot… vary your workout to keep it fun and challenging and have a blast! What fun prize will the winner get…?
[Tweet “A Fit Family is a Happy Family! Get Out there and Make Fitness Fun!”]
The possibilities for fun fit, family activities are truly endless and such a fabulous way to spend some quality time together. My girls love our family bike rides as much as they do day of rock climbing, or a visit to our local playground. It does not have to be complicated to be effective. The key is to make it a habit and always make it fun.
Feeling inspired?
If you need a little encouragement to get out there and get active, I’m excited to partner with United Healthcare once again to bring you a super fun incentive!
While you’re out there getting fit, make sure to snap a photo or two, then upload them to wedareyoutoshare.com for a chance to win a fabulous Char-broil 36,000 BTU 3-Burner Gas grill, 522 Square inch with side burner! Fitness and Barbecues make summer days delightful!!! In addition to this awesome grand prize, by sharing your outdoor fit selfies, you may qualify for a weekly $25 gift card.
And while you’re on the website, make sure to check out their other Dares for more exciting prizes including two $400 gift cards! You can submit an entry for each contest once a day so don’t be shy, get moving!
We like playing outside and jumping on the trampoline. Visiting the river is always fun too!
I am so grateful for our trampoline Kim! It’s been a source of so much laughter and good health for our family! We don’t have a river near by but that sounds fabuous too!
My kids can entertain themselves pretty well outdoors, but it’s way more fun to get in the mix with them. These are great ideas for having some fun together.
Thanks Crystal! I love combining fitness with fun! It really makes it a lifestyle rather than something you set out to do specifically.
I like your ideas of doing something different with it. My kids always loved obstacle courses.
Obstacle courses are so much fun Liz! And the beauty is that you can change it up each time and really adapt it to everyone’s fitness level.
I love these ideas! I will definitely try follow the leader on our next family walk. Sounds like so much fun!
We always end up laughing our hearts out when we play “follow the leader” Carissa… especially since our girls try to come up with the silliest or most challenging tricks… it never gets boring 🙂
I love these ideas!
We like to take early evening bike rides along the trails in the wetlands near our house. It’s very pretty and the kids don’t even realize they are exercising!
OH that sounds like something I would love to do with my family Ronni! I’d love to spend time in the wetlands 🙂
Jump rope wars would be huge in our house! We spend lots of time outdoors but this gave me some new ideas to make it even more fun!
Yay Jeanette! I’d love to hear some of your favorites too! Jump rope wars ca get pretty intense with my girls… and hubby!
Wonderful ideas! My family and I enjoy being active outdoors.
Great tips! My kids were a follow the leader variation in the pool yesterday.
I keep trying to get my family to go on walks with me after dinner. I am going to start insisting instead of just asking one of these days LOL
I think it’s so important to get outside and be active together as a family! We go on lots of walks together, which I especially love doing at the beach.