Fun Family Activities to Fight Childhood Obesity

Summer is here and with the warm weather and the kids being out of school, you might be wondering what family fitness activities you can do to keep the kids active. Childhood obesity  is on the rise, despite awareness and education. Staying physically active is more important than ever. By participating as a family, your children will develop habits that will last a lifetime.

activities-to-fight-childhood-obesity

Swimming

activities-to-fight-childhood-obesity
Swimming is a great way to stay cool and active!

One of the most loved summer activities is swimming, whether it is in a backyard pool, at a swimming class or at the beach. Kids love the water, but instead of just watching them have all the fun, parents should jump in, too! This is the perfect family fitness activity that will keep you cool during the hot summer months.

If your child is fighting childhood obesity or if you are not in the best shape, then being in the water is perfect for you. Those with painful conditions such as arthritis will also benefit from swimming. Many trainers, nutritionists and physicians recommend swimming to those who are unable to perform more strenuous activities.

Fun activities that help fight childhood obesity

Hiking

activities-to-fight-childhood-obesity
Hiking is a great family activity to fight childhood obesity.

 

Another way I try to fight childhood obesity in my family is by combining education, fun and physical activity. One of our favorite family fitness activities is hiking. While most people hike the trails in spring or autumn, we do it year-round. To avoid being affected by the heat, we go early in the morning or in the evening when it is cool. We also make sure to use trails that have a lot of trees that provide shade.

The great thing about hiking is that it is suitable even for kids. The trick is to find trails that match your kid’s ages and everyone’s physical fitness level. For young children and those who can’t walk on an incline, try simple walking trails. If your kids are older and your family is used to rigorous exercise, then you can use the more advanced hiking trails that have steep inclines.

Kickboxing
This may be an unusual family fitness activity, but I recently tried kickboxing for the first time and love it! My husband and kids are also getting involved (even though the younger ones just do simple moves.) If childhood obesity is a concern of yours, this will definitely get your kids in shape.

The average number of calories burned during this activity varies, but a 100-pound teenager would burn 238 calories in 30 minutes and a 200-pound individual could burn 476 calories! To see how many calories you would burn, Self magazine has a convenient calculator that you can use.

As with any fitness activity, parents and as well as their children should get a complete physical beforehand and talk to their doctor about whether it is safe or not. There are some people where a certain activity may cause more harm than good. This is especially true for kids who are already struggling with childhood obesity.

What family fitness activities do you have planned this summer?

.

5 thoughts on “Fun Family Activities to Fight Childhood Obesity”

  1. Looks like ya’ll had a blast! I love checking things out on the nature trails! Also, pools… Oh, how I love swimming! Especially that the kids can get in and stay in forever! :D

  2. Agreed, swimming is kind of like tricking kids into exercising. Not to mention, it even works on myself! I can’t wait until my little one gets big enough to take on hikes though. That’s when the REAL fun and exploration starts!

    1. Madeleine, I love hiking sooo much!!! I remember as a kid I would go on these exploration adventures hiking and had a blast! And you are right, swimming also tricks me into exercising!

    1. Thanks and I agree, kids don’t even know they are getting fit and burning calories when they are swimming!

Leave a Reply to Christy Garrett @ Uplifting Families Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *