Synergy Cents With Penny D. Pelican | Penny Celebrates the Holidays
December 1, 2019
Mulberry Elementary School
December 1, 2019
Great for Development, Exercise and Fun!
As fall ends and winter begins, enjoy the brisk weather with the family and stay active with these fitness tips:
Go for pre- or post-dinner walk
Weather permitting, take a nice walk with your family around the neighborhood or to your local park. Burn calories before your meal or after dessert. You can even bring your family pet. Don’t have a pet? Call your local shelter and offer assistance dog walking!
Sneak workouts into other activities
Have your toddler walk instead of riding in the cart at the grocery store. Take the stairs or walk up the escalator whenever possible. Walk your children to school if the weather permits and school is close enough. Trade TV time after dinner for playtime at the park or in the backyard.
Involve the whole family in housework
Get everyone involved in keeping the family home running smoothly. Children can help with everyday housework inside and outside the home. Fall cleaning is a great opportunity for kids to help with yard work. During the fall season, kids can rake leaves and have fun by jumping in the colorful piles. Kids are great at digging up dirt, so let them turn over the soil and help you plant new bulbs. Research shows that gardening is as good as weight training when it comes to preventing osteoporosis, and if you’re planting vegetables, it can make them more appetizing to kids. Inside the home, kids can assist with laundry and age-appropriate chores. All these activities can help the entire family be more active.
Have a weekly sports night
Every Wednesday, for example, get everyone up and moving. One game to play is the fit-deck shuffle. Create a series of playing cards featuring family-friendly exercises, such as bear-crawling or ape-walking. Each family member picks a card and performs the exercise pictured until all the cards have been dealt. You can also buy a ready-made set of exercise cards from FitDeck or create your own!
Walk or run for charity
Support a good cause and get a great opportunity to exercise. You can walk or run with your family while showing them the importance of giving back. Thibodaux Regional Health System offers opportunities throughout the year for families to walk or run together! Visit www.thibodaux.com/events for opportunities available in the region.
