Tag Archive for: #wonderfullyfit

Benefits of Exercise for Older Adults

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There is now no doubt about it. Exercise for older adults has many benefits. It was not too long ago (At least it does not seem that long ago!) back in the 1950’s when doctors felt strenuous exercise for older men and women would stress the heart and cause life threatening damage.

I even remember ads for Camel cigarettes that proudly proclaimed a majority of doctors smoked Camels and recommended them to their patients. A friend’s Mom smoked Kool cigarettes because her doctor said the menthol in the smoke would help her to breathe better when she had a cold!

exercise

 

Well we have come a long way Baby!

For the purpose of this article I am going to focus on strength training benefits for us old folks. Whether you use soup cans, weights, machines, resistance bands (my favorite) or body weight exercises. Strength training for senior men and women is critical if we want to live a vibrant and active retirement. In fact strength training more than any other exercise can turn back the hands of time.

So here are some of the benefits:

These are just a few reasons why senior men and women absolutely should be doing strength training exercises. Along with the above there are improvements in weight loss, arthritis and other chronic diseases. Plus being stronger and healthier helps you to fight off and or recover from illness or accidents.

It really does not matter how old you are or whether you are confined to a wheel chair or bed. Studies in a nursing homes among elderly men showed marked improvements after six months on a strength training program. Those who were using a walker we able to walk with a cane and some even without any assistance. Those who were in wheel chairs now were able to use a walker or cane!

Now obviously these were individuals who aliments were such that strength training could be of benefit and not individuals with conditions that made it impossible to walk. Although I maintain that as we study the effects of strength training on the elderly even seniors with conditions that made them permanently disabled can dramatically improve they lives.

So what are you waiting for? Check with your doctor and work with him on beginning a strength training program. There is a lot of information out there to help you, including my blog aching back blues. You can of course sign up with a gym and get a personal trainer or check with you local senior center or YMCA. Whatever it takes just do it! I promise you a few months from now you will be glad you did!

Easy Weight Loss With Protein-Rich Diet

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Have you ever had a problem with your weight? There are thousands of people around the world who search for an answer to their weight loss solution, and few find it. The truth is, the procedure of losing weight is not difficult, but it is difficult to stick to the plan.

A lot of us think that a “little bit more” will not harm, but it actually does more damage than you seem to think. What you need to do is have a plan in your mind and stick to it too.

weight

This is the reason why you should make it a point to go for a diet that suits you. A lot of people go for a high-protein and fiber with low carbohydrates diet. The reason why they go for it is simple – they feel that this form of diet has the maximum chance of winning, as you are cutting out carbs from your diet. But, what they do not realize is that high-protein diets tend to come with their own set of problems, the most important one being liver and kidney problems.

The simple reason why people have them is the lack fluids in their bodies. When you go on a protein-rich diet, it is crucial to drink a lot of water, to make sure the body does not retain a lot of the urea and mercury that is gathered from the protein. Drinking water flushes out the extra toxins of the body and keeps the system clear, so you can go ahead and make sure you lose weight without the fear of doing damage to your health.

One of the essential proteins that doctors always recommend in a high-protein diet is eggs, which are rich in protein and Vitamin B, and quite low in calories. Also, proteins tend to keep your body feeling full for a longer period of time, making sure you do not eat much, so the emphasis on more proteins in your diet is given quite resolutely. Those who are vegan can also get protein from sources like tofu, pulses and beans.

A great source of quick-cooking, low-calorie and inexpensive plant proteins are from different kinds of pulses. A lot of people cook beans with low amounts of fat, and consume them, to make sure their body gets enough protein. You should ideally avoid more complex proteins, like red meat, which tend to come with a lot added complication, like fat and cholesterol, with it.

Personal Trainer Tips: Pre Workout Meals

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Working out can be a laborious and taxing exercise for anybody, regardless of how healthy or fit he or she may be. As well as dealing with muscle pains, pacing your body and the mental stress that is often associated with exercising, eating the right kinds and the right amount of food should also be taken into account. Often referred to as “pre workout meals”, a suitable, nutritious meal that is consumed before a workout can greatly help anyone aspiring to achieve a great shape and enhanced health.

Pre workout meals do not just provide you with the nutrition that your body needs, but they also help you maintain your energy levels, whilst ridding you of the hunger that can sometimes affect you during your training session. So whether you want to work out to lose weight, build up muscles or simply get healthier, pre workout meals are undeniably essential and worth learning more about.

workout

It is important to remember that whilst working out on an empty stomach may make you feel lighter and seemingly able to train more effectively, it can result in you having a lack of energy which can adversely affect your exercise (or worse, your well-being later on in the day). Before training or even simply going out in the morning, it is a must to get the nutrients and energy needed to help your body function properly; and you can start with simply drinking water for personal hydration.

Moving on to the food you take onboard, it is best that you have your meal at least 45 minutes before you begin exercising. Your meal should provide both protein (30 to 40 grams is recommended) and carbohydrates (low glycemic type to be exact), and anyone can have these by starting the day with a good combination of milk, cereal (specifically oat meal), whole wheat bread and fruit.

If you intend to exercise in the afternoon or perhaps later on in the evening, there are a number of ideal pre workout meals for those periods of the day too. For instance, a lunch could be a healthy combination of meatless soup, a portion of green salad, some thin crackers and around half a pint of water is one such recommendation. As long as you give your body that essential mix of protein and carbohydrates, you will be well on your way to preparing yourself properly for an effective workout.

Giving yourself an appropriate level of nutrition before any workout routine is just one small part of the many personal training tips that can help you achieve your health and fitness goals. But having the knowledge, guidance and specific consumption of the right foods can have a tremendous impact, not only with your workout plan but also with your personal discipline.

How to Keep Exercise and Strength Training Simple For Older Adults

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Fitness and weight training does not have to be that difficult. For the older adult, those of us over 50, we can make big strides in our overall health, appearance, and strength with a simple strength training program.

You do not need fancy machines to get the results you require. Though there is some good equipment out on the market today that has its place in strength training, using old fashioned barbells and dumbbells will in my estimation get you the best results. There are cases where a machine may be easier for you to use or easier on your joints, however the machine does the balance work for you and does not apply the stress on smaller stabilizing muscles.

exercises

The stabilizer muscles that we have through out our body get weak as we age and are pressed into action when you are weight training with either a barbell or dumbbell. The stabilizers have to do the balance work that the weight machines do. If you want to build true functional strength that you can take with you each day no matter what the environment is then free weights will be the way to go.

There are hundreds of exercises out there that can be done for the human body however, when it comes to keeping it simple and yet productive I would recommend that you concentrate on the bench press, the dead-lift and the squat. There of course may be instances where these exercises will have to be modified somehow due to your level of fitness, previous injuries or other disabilities.

Maintaining a simple exercise program is easier to keep in place instead of multiple exercises as this can be time consuming. if you are just starting out, the three basic exercises mentioned will develop a good sound base for you to build upon.

You can later inject more exercises and isolate other muscle groups as you gain experience, get stronger and are confident in your form and technique.

To start with simple is better. Build your foundation by keeping your program very simple and working the large muscle groups like the chest, back, and thighs.

You can start with a program where you lift three times a week. this gives your body time to recuperate and adjust and get stronger.

Before starting a weight training program check with your doctor to get your medical clearance first.

4 Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet

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It is imperative to understand that most if not all of the life forms on earth have emanated from plants. The healing arts and medicine were derived from plant life. Plants (trees) provide oxygen for our very existence. If they have done all of these things for us then consuming plants should be nothing less than top priority in each household around the world. Unfortunately, we live in a meat-eating society which preaches that the only way to consume protein is through meat. Nothing could be further from the truth. When we speak of plant-based diets we are referring to fruits and vegetables.

Below are 4 benefits of consuming a plant-based diet.

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1. Micronutrient Power

There are two forms of nutrients of which you should be concerned. The first category is known as macronutrients. The macronutrient group includes proteins, fats and carbohydrates. The body requires a certain amount of macronutrients to function correctly on a daily basis. The second category is known as micronutrients. The micronutrient group includes vitamins and minerals. Health experts emphatically state that micronutrients are the key to life longevity. Micronutrients are only found in plant life. These guys are packed with enzymes and provide what is known as phytochemicals which are cancer fighters or popularly termed antioxidants. Most importantly, micronutrients feed your body at the cellular level and aid your biological clock. For this reason you may notice many vegans who appear twenty years younger than their chronological age.

2. You Don’t Have to Cook

The fact of the matter is that we exist and work in a society where some people work twelve hours. If you don’t have to be bothered with cooking each day after or before work then you will be a happy individual. Preparing certain foods is a job in itself. Making a brown bag lunch with a few vitamin packed herbs and a few pieces of fruit and vegetables takes little to no effort at all.

3. Lowers Cholesterol Naturally

When you consume raw fruits and veggies you do not have to worry about high cholesterol. However, when you consume a diet rich in meat you have a great chance of contracting a case of high cholesterol. Here is why. Meats are high in fat and fat plays a major role in high cholesterol. Plants have little to no fat so you will merely glean nutrients. Some meat eaters switch to a low-fat diet and fail to see lower cholesterol results. They fail to understand that a low-fat diet is of no value unless the meat is eliminated or significantly reduced. Your liver loves plants because it does not have to work as hard to regulate the cholesterol.

4. They Cleanse The Body

Inside of every cleanse on the market you will find herbs. Herbs are the true healers in the plant life regime. Not only do herbs behave as medicine but they also have a sweeping effect on the body. To make their case concrete, herbs also contain certain vitamins and minerals. Herbs will get inside of the major organs in the body and dispel the most vicious toxins. Fiber which also stems from plant life is a cleanser. If you suffer from constipation you are normally instructed to consume fiber rich plants in an effort to cleanse your system.

Personal Training Tips Anyone Can Follow

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If you are planning on getting in shape, or you just want to lose the extra weight you have picked up in recent months or years, you should definitely plan on getting started with a personal training regime. There are a variety of strategies you can take to improve your overall health and lose weight, but the following personal training tips will help you achieve your goals in the shortest period of time possible.

Maintain your motivation. It is important that you remember why you want to get in shape and why you want to lose weight. By always keeping these reasons in your mind, you can be certain that you will stick with your exercise program religiously and you will also abide by any rules or plans you make for yourself.

personal training

Many individuals attempt to get into great shape and lose weight while they are motivated, but then they quickly lose the flame that sparked them into action. By maintaining the spark that triggered you to act, you can be certain that you will stick with the program you have decided to follow and you can also be certain that you will make good eating decisions down the road.

Avoid making fatal mistakes almost everyone makes. Almost everyone tries to fight off the urge to eat delicious foods every once in a while, almost everyone wants to skip their exercise routines on occasion, and almost everyone tries to force themselves to do all kinds of things to move towards the completion of their goals.

Unfortunately, fitness goals are hardly ever achieved in this manner. If you are constantly making yourself hate the fitness plan you have designed for yourself, how are you ever going to stick with your program for a long enough period of time to get in shape? By avoiding the process of making yourself hate your exercise routine and dietary habits, you can be certain that you will always stick with the plan you have laid out for yourself, even if you happen to miss an exercise here and there and eat foods that you know you shouldn’t eat.

Avoid making your exercise routines too difficult. If you make your exercise routines too difficult, you will likely only view it as work and you will attempt to discourage yourself from completing the routines you have set out for yourself in the future.

By simply establishing an easy to follow exercise program, you can easily complete your plans to exercise each and every day. You may not burn as many calories as you would burn under more intense conditions, but you will still burn more calories than you would burn if you quickly quit your exercise regime altogether.

Set realistic goals for yourself. While many people attempt to jump straight to the perfect body of their dreams, most people also quit their exercise programs and their newfound dietary habits rather quickly too. If you would like to avoid joining this group of people, you should set goals that are easily achievable and then you will be able to track your progress over time. You will likely discover that you can make a tremendous amount of progress by taking your journey one step at a time and by following these personal training tips.

Fall Fitness

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The kids are off to school and finally you have some free time to yourself. Now is your chance to get fit. So where do you begin? Start with a consult with your doctor to see what they think of your new physical activity plans.

After you have discussed the situation with your doctor and if your health is such that you can become engaged in a fitness program start with a low intensity schedule so you aren’t so sore the next day you can’t move.

exercise

Each day set aside a time just for YOU. Make this a priority to follow through with your exercise plans unless a true emergency presents itself.

Write on your calendar what you plan to do or better yet write it down in a logbook that can be as simple as a three-ring notebook. Put down your weight, your goals for the day, week, month, and year.

Start with a dynamic warm up which means you aren’t just static stretching in a passive mode. A dynamic warm up, for example can be skipping rope, rotating your arms and legs around in big circles. The objective of this part of the exercise session is to get your heart and breathing rate up, to loosen up your muscles and get ready for a more rigorous physical endeavor.

If this is the day, you have decided to do aerobic conditioning, i.e. cardiovascular then skipping rope is not necessary. Start out slowly and gradually build up your speed of movement until you are at your target heart rate. Maintain this heart rate for twenty to thirty minutes for at least three to four times a week. Do this on alternate days between resistance training days, which now follow.

You can resistance train without weights or any other types of equipment using body weight moves such as the common push up and chair squats.

Do this entry level ‘no equipment’ fitness schedule for one month and I guarantee you will feel better! Write all that you do down in a workout logbook diary.

Monday

Walk or jog for five to ten minutes

Stretch as you cool down

Don’t forget to write it down in your log book

Tuesday

Warm up with a skip rope, do arm and leg rotations until your heart and breathing rates are up

Do each of the following exercises fifteen times apiece, one right after another. If you feel up to it then repeat the series two more times. All with correct exercise form.

Chair squats – don’t use your hands and arms to get backup off the chair

  • One leg chair squats-one leg held out in front as you descend
  • One leg squats-one leg held behind you on the chair as you descend into the squat

Calf raises

  • Two legs standing
  • One leg standing
  • Seated with a small child held securely on your knees

Hamstring bridges

  • With feet on the coach, knees bent ninety degrees and shoulders on the floor. Raise your hips up until the upper body is straight from shoulders to the bent knees
  • With feet on the floor as above described

Push ups

  • Regular
  • Modified (pivot on your knees)
  • Modified wall lean against a wall and do a push up at an incline

Curl ups

Arm extensions

Leg extensions

Cool down with passive stretching.

Wednesday

Walk or jog for five to ten minutes

Stretch as you cool down

Don’t forget to write it down in your log book

Thursday

Warm up with a skip rope, do arm and leg rotations until your heart and breathing rates are up.

Do each of the following exercises fifteen times a piece, one right after another. If you feel up to it then repeat the series two more times. All with correct exercise form.

Chair squats – don’t use your hands and arms to get backup off the chair

Calf raises

Hamstring bridges with feet on the coach, knees bent ninety degrees and shoulders on the floor. Raise your hips up until the upper body is straight from shoulders to the bent knees

Push ups either regular or modified (pivot on your knees)

Curl ups

Arm extensions

Leg extensions

Cool down with passive stretching.

Friday

Walk or jog for five to ten minutes

Stretch as you cool down

Don’t forget to write it down in your log book

Congratulations, week one is behind you and now its time for a small two-day break then at it again Monday. This week though change it around by doing three resistance days of training instead of just two like last week.

Monday

Warm up with a skip rope, do arm and leg rotations until your heart and breathing rates are up

Do each of the following exercises fifteen times apiece, one right after another. If you feel up to it then repeat the series two to three more times. All with correct exercise form.

Chair squats-don’t use your hands and arms to get backup off the chair-as described above

Calf raises-as described above

Hamstring bridges with feet on the coach, knees bent ninety degrees and shoulders on the floor. Raise your hips up until the upper body is straight from shoulders to the bent knees

Push ups either regular or modified (pivot on your knees)-as described above

Curl ups

Arm extensions

Leg extensions

Cool down with passive stretching.

Tuesday

Walk or jog for five to fifteen minutes

Stretch as you cool down

Don’t forget to write it down in your log book

Wednesday

Warm up with a skip rope, do arm and leg rotations until your heart and breathing rates are up

Do each of the following exercises fifteen times apiece, one right after another. If you feel up to it then repeat the series two to three more times. All with correct exercise form.

Chair squats-don’t use your hands and arms to get backup off the chair

Calf raises-as described above

Hamstring bridges with feet on the coach, knees bent ninety degrees and shoulders on the floor. Raise your hips up until the upper body is straight from shoulders to the bent knees

Push ups either regular or modified (pivot on your knees)-as described above

Curl ups

Arm extensions

Leg extensions

Cool down with passive stretching.

Thursday

Walk or jog for five to fifteen minutes

Stretch as you cool down

Don’t forget to write it down in your log book

Friday

Warm up with a skip rope, do arm and leg rotations until your heart and breathing rates are up

Do each of the following exercises fifteen times apiece, one right after another. If you feel up to it then repeat the series two to three or maybe even four more times. All with correct exercise form.

Chair squats-don’t use your hands and arms to get backup off the chair

Calf raises

Hamstring bridges with feet on the coach, knees bent ninety degrees and shoulders on the floor. Raise your hips up until the upper body is straight from shoulders to the bent knees

Push ups either regular or modified (pivot on your knees)

Curl ups

Arm extensions

Leg extensions

Cool down with passive stretching.

Yahoo you have now made it to your SECOND weekend break. Now repeat for next week by doing three days of cardio work and two of resistance training. Be sure to write it all down.

Keep it up for the rest of the month and notice how much better you are feeling about yourself.

Diet Tips for Women That Can Help You Until the Holidays

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With summer of 2018 officially over, it is important for you to take a good, hard look at your body now to see what kind of shape you are in and also to determine just what your expectations are for the rest of the year. With Halloween just around the corner, and then Thanksgiving and the Holidays, you need to know what your weight is now and just how much weight you are willing to gain during the holidays.

Here are a few diet tips that can help you maintain your weight or even lose weight going into the rest of this year, so that when spring comes around next year, you will still be able to fit into your summer clothes!

Set your goals

Weigh yourself now and if you are at a weight that is comfortable for you, then set a maximum weight that you will not go over between now and spring time. This might be three or five pounds, or maybe more, but keep in mind that those pounds will be hard to lose once you put them on.

If you are still trying to diet and you want to continue losing weight, then you can use this time of year to continue your diet, but take it easy on yourself since you might not have the same activity opportunities that you would have in the summer time.

Find Different Activities To Do

When the weather is warm, it is easy to go out for a walk or a jog, a swim, or a round of golf, but when it gets cold and rainy or snowy, it isn’t that easy. So, make sure that you have a plan for how you are going to get in your thirty minutes of activity per day. That should be an absolute minimum if you want to maintain your weight, an if you are looking at losing weight, then you will want to do even more.

Track Your Diet

One thing that a lot of successful dieters have in common is that they are known to track their eating habits. If you have never done this before, then you might be surprised at just how far off you are in your daily calorie calculations. When you track your diet or keep a “food diary”, you will find that keeping your weight under control is a whole lot easier.

Follow the Advice of Successful Dieters

Finally, when you see someone who has lost weight, it is pretty normal to ask them how they did it, or what their secret is. These tips for women dieters can really help you to remain encouraged and to lose weight gradually over the fall months. Getting advice and support from fellow dieters is one of the best things that any dieter can do since it helps to keep you accountable for your diet and exercise and it also gives you someone to brag to!

5 Tips for Staying Healthy During the Holidays

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Oh the holiday rush is right around the corner! I can feel it in my bones. Shopping, dinners, holiday parties, holiday treats and crazy business wreck havoc on our bodies, minds and emotions. It’s not hard to see why most of us get pulled totally out of balance during the holidays. While the holidays always bring lots of smiles they also tend to bring us a lot of other things we don’t want, like extra pounds, sicknesses, low energy levels and too much stress!

In fact the incidence of flu and colds double in incidence in December and January and it’s no wonder why. All the things that lower our immune resistance, stress, sugar, unhealthy fats, too much food and not enough exercise, are in full effect. Too many treats, too much wine and not enough of everything healthy drives us to set healthy goals and resolutions for the New Year which is great, but why wait until the New Year? With a few easy tips you can stay healthy and balanced and sail into January looking and feeling your best!

holiday

1. Stay Active

This is an important one and no running around and shopping does not count. When our schedules get busy one of the first things most of us squeeze out of our lives is a healthy exercise routine. It’s important to stay active during the holiday seasons most especially because exercise addresses exactly what we need to stay in balance during this time: releasing stress, increasing energy and increasing metabolism. The Holidays can be stressful and exercise is one of the best ways to release this built up stress and prevent it from doing any damage to our internal body. Even taking just a 30 minute walk each day will do wonders for your health and well being.

2. Eat Healthy Outside of Parties & Holiday Functions

We all know it will be next to impossible to say no to pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes and gravy and all the great treats the Holidays naturally invite. It’s not so bad to indulge every once and awhile in fact it creates a healthy balance in your life, what is important is not to allow indulging to turn into an all day, every day thing. Fatty and sugary foods are naturally addicting because the heighten neurotransmitters in our brain, the feel good mood chemicals.

So once we have a taste of this stuff, we want more! If you watch yourself, you’ll notice the times you fall off the “healthy eating wagon” are times that start with a wonderfully indulging meal or dessert. That one meal turns into days of eating in unhealthy ways. Knowing this ahead of time will give you some awareness If you know you will be attending a Holiday function, be mindful to eat healthy the day of and the day after. Allow yourself to indulge, but know the next day you will be back to your fresh, healthy diet. Following this step will ensure you keep yourself balanced throughout the Holidays.

3. Start Your Day Fresh

I talk a lot about the importance of fresh, raw foods in the diet and that is because it not only keep your health at the highest levels, but also your outward beauty radiant, your emotions balanced, and your energy and drive high.his can be a challenge in the colder months because cold, raw foods can throw our bodies out of balance. So what to do? Well, I have found starting the day with a fresh green smoothie is the best approach to getting a healthy dose of fresh foods while allowing the rest of the day to be more balanced to the external weather with warm soups, grains and veggies.

Green smoothies naturally cleanse your body, which is best done first thing in the body, increase the amount of oxygen supply in your body, which is a great way to jump start your day, hydrate and alkalize your body and infuse your cells with living nutrients and enzymes. Starting with a smoothie also keeps your digestive energy exertion to a minimum freeing up energy first thing in the morning, when we all need it most. Adding a green smoothie during the Holidays gives your body the nutrients it needs while flushing toxins (think wine, sugary desserts and fatty meals) each and every day. This one tip will immediately increase your energy, vitality and overall health almost immediately.

4. Manage Stress

Stress! There’s that word again. Stress is talked about so frequently in a truly holistic approach to health because it has such a negative and profound effect of every area of your life and all of us have way too much of it! In fact during stressful times your biological age, the age of the inside of your body, can be as much as 32 years older than your calendar age! That’s how negative stress is on the inside of your body. The Holidays become a very stressful time for a lot of people. Spending, shopping and pressure are all words that can be synonymous with the Holidays if we allow these things to have an impact on us, and for many it will have an impact on us. It’s important to your health and well being to have a stress releasing and reducing routine in place and this becomes even more important during the Holidays.

Stress reduction techniques such as deep breathing, yoga, exercise,and taking ample down time will help you stay in balance and keep your health vibrant even during the most stressful times. As little as 5 minutes a day of deep breathing can go a long way to help reduce your stress and the stress impact on your body and health. You can contact us directly to receive a free 5-minute deep breathing exercise. Make sure going into the Holidays you have a plan in place for the days and times you will dedicate time to releasing stress. I find meditation exercise and yoga to be the most beneficial for me. What stress releasing techniques are most beneficial for you? Make sure they are in your weekly schedule.

5. Don’t Get Lost in the Hustle and Bustle

The Holidays should be a time of family, love and thankfulness. The rest like parties and presents are just ways of expressing those things. For years I was caught up in the hustle and bustle of the Holidays, most especially making sure my kids had bigger, better presents. Then I became more conscious and watched. I watched as my kids opened present after present, and as present after present was literally thrown to the side to open the next. There was no appreciation or gratefulness and I knew this was my fault. In the last couple years I have began to take the approach of offering gifts as a representation of love and appreciation for my children. This has translated into less presents with more meaning and more meaning has translated into less of all the other stuff.

It’s so easy to get lost in the marketing, advertising and pressure of the Holidays but it’s important to take time to decide what the Holidays truly mean for you. Once you have that understanding, your actions can align and your focus will remain clear. Coincidentally enough, this results in less stress and a better sense of peace during the season. Don’t get lost in everything the Holidays aren’t, instead stay grounded in what the Holidays are. This will minimize your stress and other negative emotions and increase all the positive and peaceful feelings the Holidays innately generate.

Family Health and Wellness Ideas for Fall

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Wellness is about a state of well-being and health in your family’s life. As the autumn season comes peeking around the corner, here are some fun & family friendly activities to keep everyone in your household staying active, healthy, and connecting with one another through health & wellness!

wellness

Evening Walks

The cooler weather of fall is the perfect time to begin a routine of taking an evening walk as a family. Walks are great for the entire gang, because the littlest ones can ride in a stroller or wagon and kids a little older can skip alongside or ride their trikes, bikes, skateboards, etc! For even more wellness benefits, consider timing your walk between dinner and bedtime to aid in digestion of the evening meal as well as encourage good sleep for the night!

Active Game Night

Connecting as a family on a regular basis is vital to relationship health. Family game night is a great way to do this! Take it up one more notch by selecting active games each week! When the outdoor weather is beautiful, games like basketball, relay races, obstacle courses in the backyard, and trampoline time get you moving and enjoying the fall season. For days that are cold and wet, take the movement indoors with games like Wii Sports, classic Twister, or even a competitive dance party!

Outdoor Yard Cleanup

For families with a lawn area at home, get the whole family involved in fall cleanup activities! Rake or blow the leaves into a pile and have a little fun jumping and playing together in it before removal. Other ideas include picking up trash and other yard waste or creating fun outdoor decorations for the home together! No yard at home? Take the cleanup fun to a local park, to a grandparent’s or other relative’s house or anywhere a little TLC may be needed!

Charity Events

Growing the connection that your family has with one another, as well as the community around you, is vital to a healthy state of mind! Consider teaming up as a family for an active charity event this year! Many organizations offer marathons, runs and walks of all shapes and sizes, as well as other types of active competitions to get your heart pumping and your hand helping! Many families find that doing charity events together at least yearly helps to build character, their relationship with each other, and their community.