Heart-healthy family activities

What do going to a zoo, hiking up a mountain and going for a bike ride all have in common? They're fun, active and the entire family can get on board. Instead of leaving the kids behind while you get in your exercise, activities done together go beyond burning calories. The key: Don't call it exercise.

Heart-healthy
family fun

Kids need 60 minutes of "moderate to vigorous" activity daily and should not be sedentary for longer than an hour at a time. Try these quick expert tips for heart-friendly family fun.

Make it fun

Activities should also offer a challenge without being too difficult or frustrating for the child. Easy-to-learn games and toys including hula hoops and Big Wheels for small children make it easy for kids to jump into the action. Tennis and swimming, on the other hand, require a bit of practice before they can become enjoyable. Include them along with easier activities to keep kids motivated.

Keep it social

Children also enjoy playing with other children. Take advantage of this and start a neighborhood playtime exchange: contact your neighbors to form group playtimes. Gather five or six families together and each day one parent runs the play group. You don't need formal equipment. Just grab a bunch of fun toys and active games and take them to a local park or the supervising parents' backyard.

Create a plan

Plan for these fun backyard and outdoor activities to try with your child (adjust and vary according to their age):

Pick and choose

In addition to individual outings with their friends, plan one day a week for family activity day. Alternate different family members who plan the trip or parents can give three options and let the child choose (alternate among the kids if you have more than one). Choose activities the entire family can do together: bike rides, hiking, swimming, for example, are all great family activities.

Some more unusual outdoor activities include "rails to trails," using railroad beds converted to trails for biking, hiking and walking; and "geocaching," a high-tech treasure hunt using a GPS device. Enter your zip code on the site to find "caches" in your area. You search for the outdoor treasures using coordinates on your GPS device and then share your experiences online.

After all, what's more motivating than a prize at the end of your workout?

More family fitness tips

Learn to exercise with your kids
Making fitness fun for the whole family
5 Ways to get your family exercising all year long