Blog Post

How to Keep the Family Moving Through the Holidays

Nov 12, 2018

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It’s cold outside, and everyone in your family is feeling like it’s time to hibernate after eating all the Thanksgiving leftovers and watching hours of football on TV. Well, it’s time to get those muscles warmed up and the blood flowing.

Holidays are usually a time to indulge ourselves with delicious foods that we only have once a year, but it’s important to get your family moving throughout the holiday season.

According the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), children spend an average of nearly three hours a day watching television and only half of children and teens get regular exercise. It’s recommended that kids get 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity a day, 30 minutes for adults, so being an active family is beneficial for parents too.

The AAP lists several suggestions for active family activities, including:

  • Walk around the block
  • Playing interactive games
  • Mall walking
  • Play tag in the front yard
  • Buy a kite, put it together as a family activity, and fly it in the park.
  • Take a family bike ride
  • Wash & wax the car as a family activity
  • Have a family dance party
  • During the holiday season, take a family walk in the evening and enjoy the holiday lights on the homes in the neighborhood

The goal should be to have fun and then kids will be willing to do it longer than the recommended amount of time.

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