Walk Your Family Towards Fitness

Getting your family outside to exercise needn't involve any more effort than strapping on a pair of shoes and opening your front door. Here are some suggestions for fun walking activities designed to get everyone moving and enjoying the great outdoors:

Use the dog as an excuse. If you don't have a dog, borrow one, then head out to the nearest dog-friendly beach or park for a hike. Let Fido act as motivator to get your kids off the couch.

Use a pedometer. Give everyone a pedometer and see who can take the most steps in a day, or give each member in the family a target to reach and stick a chart on the fridge door to mark their progress (you can even offer prizes for them if they meet their goals.) Use your kid's naturally competitive nature to make them want to get out and exercise more.

Make walking a habit. If you make taking an after dinner walk together into a scheduled family activity, it can become a chance for you all to connect and explore your local neighbourhood.

Walk for charity. There are lots of different charity walks that happen across Canada. Sign up for one of these as a family - it will be a great incentive to pick up your feet.

Head inside. No need to stay inside when it's raining, you could hit an indoor track at your local rec centre or even the mall. Many malls have mapped out walking trails inside them which have the distances noted. Ask at your local mall's customer service desk if they have a mall walking program you can join.

Get a change of scene. Walk on the beach, through a forest, through a new neighbourhood or anywhere at all to mix things up.

Play explorer. Get your kids to map out new walking routes at home before you go out and then test out their navigational skills when you get out there to actually walk. Show the kids Google Earth or other mapping programs so they can see what your neighbourhood looks like from the air - this is a great way to locate playgrounds and green spaces that you never knew existed before!