Spring has arrived, and warm weather is finally here! For many of us, this is the time of year when we are the most excited to get outside and accomplish some of our fitness goals. What better way to establish some of these goals than alongside your own family? One of the best ways to establish lifelong habits of physical activity is to work together and resolve to achieve specific fitness goals as a family. Choose forms of exercise that everyone can accomplish together, then make it a regular part of your daily routine.

Here are some tips to help you get started on a path to a healthier, more active life with your family.

●       Set aside time either before or after dinner to go on walks as a family.  

●       Choose one night a week to participate in a sport activity together – soccer, frisbee golf, tossing a football.

●       Participate in a charity run or walk together. Spend the weeks ahead of the race training together. 

●       Create a fun obstacle course or family olympics in your backyard or pool.

●       Encourage everyone in your home to turn TV commercial breaks into exercise breaks. Run in place, speed walk around the house, run up and down the stairs, or do three minutes worth of jumping jacks!

●       Set up a Family Fitness Challenge for your family. Create a simple activity tracker for each member and set a fitness goal for the whole family. Once the goal is met, celebrate with a reward that can be enjoyed by the whole family.

●       Yard work is an excellent way to incorporate some exercise into your days.  Gardening, raking leaves, mowing, picking up sticks, landscaping, hauling dirt and so on. 

●       Compete in fun backyard game contests – jump rope, hula hoop, red light / green light, leapfrog, sack relays, or a hopscotch course. 

●       Find a DVD set or an online workout program that you can all participate in over a period of several weeks. 

●       Put on some music and speed clean the house together. Set some goals to complete in 30 minutes. If the goals are met, celebrate with a fun reward! 

●       Take some time over the weekend to explore a new park together. 

●       Whenever you are out shopping together, create a habit of parking in the furthest parking spot you can find. Also when possible, take the stairs instead of the elevator!