Exercise with your child

Did you know that exercise guidelines recommend that kids should do at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day? It is important as a community we help our young people see how crucial exercise is to our daily lives and August 4-10 marks the official "Exercise with Your Child Week" - a perfect time to start a healthy habit with your child!

Here are a few simple ways to get moving with your kids:

Go Outside: Step outside into your front or back yard! Together you can play family games of kickball or basketball, simply go on a walk, bike to your nearest park! Why not take the the dog for a long after dinner stroll. Getting outside together is a great time for the family to do a little bonding and burn calories. Find outdoor events, trails and parks near you with the Let's Move government website.

Play Sports Together: Volunteer to coach your child on an organized sports team. If an organized sport does not interest your child, encourage them to participate in an individual sport. There are many different individual sports (swimming, gymnastics, wrestling, tennis, golf, martial arts, track and field, dance, etc.) that you can practice together. You can always set a goal of participating in a fun run together or attending a community dance to show off your new moves.

Play Inside: You don’t always have to be outside to be active with a child. Join together and play a game of twister or clear an area for hula hoping indoors, why not bust a move to some of your favorite music and have a family dance party. Or throw on some silly costumes as you dance to make it memorable and no one will realize they just spent an hour doing a cardiovascular activity!

Use exercise with your child week as a fun way to kick off a lifetime of positive behaviors. After all, now is the time to make it a goal to help your children create a positive attitude towards exercise!

Together families are making it their exercise goal to participate in the inaugural Community Coalition for Healthy Youth fun run on August 25, 2013 – join in on the fun!

___________________________________________________________

Monthly Messages are brought to you by:

The Community Coalition for Healthy Youth

Each monthly message is provided by coalition board members. If you have further questions or comments about this message or would like information on how to become involved with the Community Coalition for Healthy Youth, please email ahendrix@tompkins-co.org

Thank you in advance for sharing this monthly message with your networks.

Community Coalition for Healthy Youth

320 W. State/MLK Jr. Street

Ithaca NY 14850