One of the best ways to spend time together as a family is to get active together. Nothing brings you closer than fun family fitness activities and getting healthy together. Summer sports are a natural way of doing just that. If you and your family are stuck in the “couch potato blues” from over the winter, here are some summer sports activities to get fit and turn things around.
Summer Sports Ideas for Family Fitness
Swimming
What could beat diving into an ice blue body of water and splashing around in the heat? Swimming one of the most popular summer sports for a reason and virtually every family has access to a pool or lake. While you swim you can actually play games like Marco Polo, Tag and Catch the Shark. All activity in the water is amplified as far as family fitness goes because of the extra effort required to move around. Swimming as a family is a wonderful way to get fit during summer.
Hiking
Hiking really doesn’t get enough credit as a family fitness activity. When you head out into nature and take the proper safety precautions, your family can experience a whole plethora of benefits. You get a cardio workout, a muscular stretch and plenty of calorie burn when you climb or hike. Gather the family and enjoy some close bonding time while hiking this summer. Perhaps you can even plan a vacation to one of the best National parks and make hiking part of your family vacation!
Softball
The wonderful thing about softball as a sport is that it can be played by all and enjoyed. Even the smallest children can generally hit a slow pitched softball so they can join in as well. If you have enough family members to get up a game, it is an excellent way to get in shape too. If you are short the number of players, you can still play Roller Bat. Just have one person hit to all the others and whomever catches it rolls it to the bat and tries to touch it. It is a fun game for sure and will get you moving this summer!
Badminton/Tennis
Any of the racquet games are a blast and are a perfect fit for the family. You can also include volleyball in this list if you are so inclined.
Golf
While underrated, golf is a wonderful summer sport for families to active with. It can be expensive, but you get a wonderful workout chasing that little white ball. There is a feeling you get when you golf that is tough to explain but it keeps you coming back for more. If you are willing to invest a bit of cash, golf can be a family affair that takes you well into old age with great health.
When it comes to summer sports and family fitness, the bottom line is to find what you personally enjoy. Whether it is something with tons of running, jumping and throwing or a simple stroll through a golf course, staying fit is absolutely vital. You need to find something you all like and participate regularly. Many families like to switch it up to keep fitness from becoming boring. Whatever you do, do it as a family and you will grow closer while enjoying the healthy benefits.
What are your favorite summer sports for fun family fitness ideas?
You have a great list there! We like to take our grandkids on little hikes and to the beach where we hunt for sea glass.
great choices, swimming for sure it is 90 degrees here in Florida! Cool off while exercising!
i love softball :) always have!
My hubby always plays softball, and he golfed yesterday. Today we’re going over to golf w/the in-laws. :)
This is definitely great! I’d much rather be doing this to stay active and outdoors than the grueling work we are doing on the outside of our house right now.
We love to swim. Going swimming today to teach out little one to float on his back which he needs to learn before he can take Session 2 Swim lessons. We do all those other things that you mentioned too!