Annually on the second Saturday in June, communities across the U.S. celebrate Family Health & Fitness Day! This year, the special date arrives on June 12, 2021. Sponsored by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), Family Health & Fitness Day encourages families to get active at a local park, recreation center, gym, athletic event, or at home.

The COVID-19 pandemic has served as a reminder to all of us that staying active, especially outside, plays an important role in supporting everyone’s physical and mental health. Now that restrictions are being lifted, Family Health & Fitness Day comes at the perfect time to celebrate all the ways that keeping our bodies moving improves our lives.

Adventure Fitness Athletic Club applauds our community’s fitness efforts and we admire those who model healthy habits for their families, which helps younger generations learn the importance of staying active early in life. Read on for some tips on how you and your family can celebrate Family Health & Fitness Day on June 12 and all year long.

Top Family Fitness Tips From AFAC Gym in Thornton, CO

At Adventure Fitness Athletic Club, we understand the many benefits that regular exercise and physical activity can bring to our lives. In addition to increasing our muscular and cardiovascular strength, exercise reduces stress, improves sleep, increases our attention spans, minimizes disease, boosts mental health, and can lengthen our lifespan. Since the habits that children learn early in life tend to shape their choices and behavior as adults, it’s extremely beneficial for kids to grow up in a family that makes exercise and physical fitness a priority.

We all know that children love to play, so making exercise fun for them will greatly increase their participation and interest. If adults have a blast while exercising, kids will certainly want to join them! Below are some ways that families can enjoy physical activity together, which helps strengthen family bonds and instills healthy values into the minds of youngsters.

Walk together

Walking is one of the easiest healthy habits for families to weave into their routines. Every day or a few times per week, schedule a family walk around the neighborhood or at a local park. Set aside 20-30 minutes for a walk before or after dinner to catch up on the day and learn what’s going on in each other’s lives. As an added bonus, walking can help improve digestion and energize everyone before tackling homework.

Take a hike

Our gym is in Thornton, where we’re surrounded by some of the most beautiful nature trails in the country. Take your family for hikes and explore the gorgeous Rocky Mountain area together. You’ll not only get some great exercise, but you’ll also instill a lifelong love of nature into your family members.

Explore new hobbies

Does your family share an interest in an activity like tennis, karate, yoga, skiing, or golf? Consider taking lessons together. In addition to helping everyone stay active, you might also give the children in your family a hobby to enjoy for the rest of their lives.

Be creative with your ideas

Sometimes you can find unique ways to stay active without blocking off too much time in your schedule. Tell everyone in your family to think of creative ideas to keep moving. For example, they might suggest walking to a nearby store instead of driving, parking farther away from the mall entrance, taking the stairs instead of an elevator, biking to the library together, pulling weeds in the yard, or picking up trash outside.

Team up for housework and yardwork

Keeping the house and yard maintained is simply a fact of life, but if you do it as a family, the work goes faster and everyone gets some exercise in! Split up chores like dusting, vacuuming, sweeping, and cleaning and remind everyone that everyday housework is a way to stay active. Outside, every season gives your family a chance to workout: shoveling snow in the winter, gardening in the spring, mowing the lawn in the summer, and raking leaves in the fall. Make it fun by raking leaves into a pile and jumping into them, building a snow fort or having a snowball fight, and planting a family garden (with fruits, vegetables, or flowers) or a special tree every year.

Try a family competition

Sometimes it can be fun to mix a little friendly competition with your family fitness routine. For example, ask everyone to log the number of miles they walk in a week and see who goes the farthest. Schedule a fun game of shooting hoops or playing golf. See who can jump rope the longest without missing. There are countless ways to turn your fitness goals into a challenge, and everyone ends up being a winner because they’re exercising more.

Join a fitness cause

Have you ever noticed that there seems to be a charitable walking, biking, or running event every weekend during the warmer months? Join one as a family! Not only will you be exercising together, but you’ll also be contributing to a worthy cause, too.

Plan active parties

Whenever you plan a birthday party, holiday party, or other gathering, make sure there’s plenty of physical activity included. Hold relay races, throw a dance party, have a pool party, or go roller skating, ice skating, or sledding.

Every Day Is Health & Fitness Day at AFAC Gym

At Adventure Fitness Athletic Club, we strive to be the best gym in Thornton by offering our members a vast array of fitness options to keep their workouts fun, interesting, and challenging. If you’d like to learn more about our fitness classes, equipment, and other options like our rock climbing wall and cave, speak to a member of our team for assistance. Feel free to stop by and visit us or contact our gym owner, Susan at 720-849-0245 or susan@adventurefitness.club for assistance.

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