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- Get The Family
Moving
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- Making better food choices
will help your family ’s health and
control their weight, but it’s only
half the story. All Australians need to
increase their activity levels. You and
your children need exercise! You
can’t however, tell your
children to exercise. A “do as I say,
not as I do” approach simply
won’t work.
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- Research shows that if you
as a parent lead an active life, your
children are more likely to be active,
and if your children are active from a
young age, they are more likely to remain
active as adults. Children don’t
need to have set exercise programs, but
they do need to engage in some form of
activity that raises the heart rate for a
period of time several times a week.
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- Start by setting
guidelines for the number of hours your
children can play computer games and
watch television – and stick to
these rules yourself! You’ll find
you will all be looking for other things
to do. By being active as a whole family
you can enjoy more benefits than just
becoming healthier - it's a great way to
spend time together and have fun!
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- Encourage family
activities and along with the new healthy
eating habits, the whole family will keep
fit and trim.
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- Here are some
ideas to get you and your children moving
more:
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Buy toys and equipment that require
physical movement – trampoline,
skipping ropes, hula hoops, hackey sack,
bikes, skateboards
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Use activity related rewards for good
behaviour – take them ten-pin
bowling, ice skating, rollerblading, or
to the waterslides
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- Play
a game that requires physical movement
– kicking the football, throwing a
Frisbee, hopscotch, even a game of
Twister!
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Wash the car together
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Visit the playground or local swimming
pool
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Make up an obstacle course in the
backyard
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Help them set up their own vegetable
patch and get them planting, weeding,
digging and raking
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Go to the park or beach and fly a kite,
tree-climb or play hide and seek
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Hire a couple of paddle boats and race
each other
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Enrol the whole family in surfing classes
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Map out a course and teach them about
orienteering
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Organise a treasure hunt
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Put a basketball ring up in the backyard
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Invite the extended family or a group of
friends for a tennis day, a cricket match
or a beach volleyball match
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Find a bike-track and go cycling
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Plan a bushwalking, water skiing or
canoeing holiday
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Even a walk around the zoo or museum is
activity
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