10 Fun Ways to Stay Active with Your Family

This is the time of year that everyone seems to get in a bit of a slump, and one thing that also slumps in this time is health. One of the easiest way to do it for the long term is to get the whole family along for the ride by making active lifestyle choices. However, this doesn't have to be a sentence to misery. Although it's colder, there are plenty of ways to stay active with your family, while not making enemies of them.

1. Trampoline gym

Finally, you can let the kids go wild without the worry. Trampoline gyms are actually designed to be far safer than the backyard version. Wall to wall trampolines ensure that your kids both aren't falling anywhere, but also reduces the risk of falling anywhere hard. Most have strict rules of 1 person on one trampoline at a time, which results in minimum collisions and bumps and bruises. Plus, although this may seem heavy on the fun, it will also get you sweating - this is a great workout for the legs and butt.

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2. Cross country skiing

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Cross-country skiing is a great way to explore a larger park, since you can travel farther and faster than walking, but it isn't too competitive that you can't stop to take in a great view. Plus, it works the whole body, and is an excellent comprehensive cardio.

3. Snowshoeing

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An awesome workout that is also low-impact on the knees - so good if you want to make this a larger family workout and involve those with older joints or bad knees. Plus, so convenient to do absolutely anywhere that there is snow. It may make snow easier to walk atop, but you'll still be working up a sweat, since walking on the uneven surface of the snow has that "sand" effect that really works the calves.

4. Sledding

People forget what a workout sledding is until they are back on the hill saying, "Oh yeah, you have to get back up every time...that's right". Sledding's a great one because it no way do you ever have to convince someone to go. Everyone loves sledding. And you'll get those cool, cool uphill muscles.

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5.Geocaching

Geocaching is a scavenger hunt-style activity that connects users spread across the nation that hide objects, give out coordinates online, and then other users can log on and find these treasures by using a GPS navigator or a GPS function on a phone. These are hidden in parks and community areas. Often, there are small trinkets on the inside of the capsule that you replace with your own trinket. It's a great way to explore new parts of the city and feel like a detective while chalking up some walking miles.

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6. Rock climbing

Rock climbing gives a lot of people the visual of dangling hundreds of feet from a rocky desert landscape, that it only exists for those absolute thrill seekers. However, climbing gyms are a great way to get the thrill without the danger. With completely padded floors, knowledgeable instructors, and a variety of skill levels, an afternoon of rock climbing can be an awesome and unique family outing. With proper training, it is actually incredibly safe. And, a great way to teach kids to face fear of heights, teaching about teamwork, and letting them know all the fun ways to be active. And watch out for those awesome forcep and back muscles that you'll be rocking with this type of exercise.

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7. Curling

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Curling groups seem to always be remarkably friendly and community-oriented. The only moderately-known but widespread sport features sliding a rock across ice to slide into the center of a target. Kind of like ice shuffleboard, really. A lot have kids workshops for kids to learn the sport, and open gym nights throughout the week. Curling looks like an easy glide, but actually involves a lot of movements similar to deep lunges that really work on the hamstring and glutes area. And if you get a game going, sweeping, which is the act of sweeping the ice to rid it of friction and make the rock travel, is a crazy cardio and upper body workout. Curling's a fun way to get the family competitive against each other in a fun, easy-going way.

8. Ice Skating

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A timeless winter classic that never gets old. Don't overlook the fun that simply winding around an ice circle can bring to everyone. Plus, it's an excellent event to bring kids' friends with while being able to keep an eye on most of them.

9. Build a snow fort.

Take advantage of the season and build a fort in your yard! Igloos can get dangerous if not done correctly, so sticking to a regular fort is the best option. It's a super fun time that can initiate a snowball war and a whole afternoon of fun in the snow.

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10. Scavenger Hunt

Similar to geo-caching, doing a winter scavenger hunt is a great way to mix up your weekends. Especially if in the scavenger hunt; you can include fun stuff like city landmarks, different birds, or a specific incidence, such as a musician or dancing in a public place.

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To accompany these awesome activities, don't forget to do a check of your family's eating habits. This time of year is often accompanied by a lot of baked goods. Those baked goods are full of things, but nutrients often aren't those things. So you might find yourself feeling sluggish. So make sure your family is getting plenty of fresh greens, complex carbs, and healthy proteins like beans and white meat. Meanwhile, if you're feeling particularly low energy, consider a supplement to kick your metabolism into a better gear. A supplement like Hydroxycut helps boost energy and keep excess holiday weight for sticking around. These activities also can work toward that goal. But more importantly, working toward healthy lives with your family has never been more fun.  

This post has been written for Serenity You

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