Be fit, active in new ways or regular routines
(Pictured: Working in a garden with grandchildren can be a fun way to add some fitness and physical activity).
Being physically active with your family is a great way to stay healthy and make exercise fun. Whether you play team sports with the entire brood or take brisk walks with your spouse, child, or grandchild, you’ll be rewarded with improved health and time spent together.
Here are a few activities to do with grandchildren:
- With infants and toddlers, take them for walks in the stroller and rides on your bicycle. Don’t forget your helmets. Play games that get your bodies moving — Wheels on the Bus, Pretend We’re Animals, and Hide-and-Seek. Sign up for baby yoga or exercise classes. Or try baby-friendly swimming classes.
- With school-age kids, walk to the park and push their swing. Jump rope together. Build a fort — indoors or out. Play catch, kickball, basketball, or soccer. Go swimming or biking. Play a video fitness game together and see who wins.
- With teens and young adults, do what interests them. Try hiking, skating, or tennis. Or go golfing or swimming. In other words, invite them to join you in physical activities that require two people. Maybe they’ll help you in the garden or with heavy-duty household chores.
You don’t need to spend a fortune to be physically active. In fact, you can be active in many ways without spending any money. You don’t need special exercise equipment, either, other than comfortable walking shoes. For instance:
- Make your own weights from household items such as soup cans or bottles of water.
- Try out free demonstration exercise classes at a senior center or fitness center.
- Go for a walk in a park.
- Participate in community-sponsored fun runs or walks.
- Yard work such as raking, digging, and planting.
- And make sure to drink water or juice after exercise.
Being creative and trying new forms of exercise can keep you motivated by preventing boredom. A change in seasons is an excellent time to try something new. There are many ways to be active throughout the year.
In the winter, when your grandchildren visit, head outside to build a snowman together or go ice skating. Cold outdoor temperatures are an excellent reason to join a mall-walking group. Start the new year by trying out a fitness center — many offer New Year resolution specials. Give your heart a Valentine’s Day gift with dance lessons, such as salsa, tango, or belly dancing.
Spring is coming. So as the temperatures start to get warm, get your garden ready. The lifting and bending you do are great for strength and flexibility.
Source: National Institute on Aging, part of the federal National Institutes of Health.
