Unplug Your Family & Get Active This Summer
It's recommended that adults get at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week and for children 60 minutes per day. MayoClinic.com reports that children ages 6 to 17 require at least one hour of moderate-intensity physical activity daily.
Summer is the ideal time to enjoy outdoor activities with family, friends and neighbors. Optimize family bonding time through outdoor activities like swimming, grilling and yard games and more extensive outings like camping, fishing and hunting.
Long days and school vacations mean that kids can learn new sports like soccer, tennis and golf, or practice for upcoming seasons of football, volleyball or basketball. Learning a sport allows children to incorporate frequent physical activity into their daily routines. In addition to coach-supervised camps, kids can practice at home to stay active.
Pleasant temperatures and visually interesting surroundings can not only motivate you to exercise, but help you enjoy it more. If you love doing an activity, you're more apt to do it regularly.
Jogging, biking, swimming, hiking, and kayaking are fun, but simple walking can be one of the best and most enjoyable fitness activities. It's easy on the joints, you don't need a lot of fancy equipment, and you can burn calories. Current national guidelines recommend exercise (such as brisk walking) for 30 minutes, most days in a week.
Your risk of heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure go down as a response to just increasing your level of physical activity. If you're trying to lose weight, you should shoot for 60 minutes of walking most days of the week. To keep weight off, get 60-90 minutes of walking most days.
Good athletic shoes are all you need. Walking is a weight-bearing exercise (which means it's good for bone health) and helps build cardiovascular endurance. Almost everyone can do it, regardless of fitness level. The key is to start slowly. The general rule is to increase your time or distance by no more than 10% each week.