The 10 Favourite Things Fit Families Love About Camping

1.  Change of scenery – There is nothing better to relax you than to get away.  As long as you are at home you will find that "to do" list. By the time you leave your kids will be beside themselves with excitement…that is provided you start when they are young.

2.  New adventures – Have everyone in the family contribute an idea regarding what they would like to do while you are camping.  Research where you are going.  There may be an outstanding hiking trail or a wonderful day paddling trip.  There may be an organized outing provided by the campground.

3.  Great food – Camping meals are always simple and delicious.  No microwave meals here.  You will likely be more active on this holiday so some treat food might be in order.

4.  Outdoor fun all day long - You can sleep in or get up early.  Whatever you choose, if you are really camping (not using a motor home) you will be outside nearly all the time.

5.  Paddling a canoe – If you are car camping either rent or take your own canoe.  A quick paddling clinic for the whole family is advisable.  The kids may take instruction from a stranger better and you, the parent, might hone a forgotten skill.

6.  Riding bikes around the campground if car camping.  This is one of the favourite activities of kids whose families are car camping.  The family can explore the whole campground on bikes.

7.  Sleeping in a tent – Even if you are car camping take a tent along.  Kids may love to sleep in the tent, or if they are nervous about that they may love to hang out in it, play card games etc.

8.  Hearing the loons on the lake – This is a very special sound that you never ever forget once you hear it.  If you are lucky you might see a mama loon with a baby.

9. Seeing wildlife or evidence of wildlife – While raccoons have become city dwellers, bears, moose and deer generally are not.  If you are wilderness camping you are more likely to see a moose in the early morning.  If you are hiking you may see scat from any of these animals.

10. Campfires and cooking s'mores – What is camping without a campfire?  This is often the highlight of the trip for the kids.  Teach them how to gather the tinder, kindling and wood if you are wilderness camping.  If you are car camping you likely have to buy the wood on site, however the end product is the same.

Make Your Kid's Health Your Number 1 Priority

I know, it sounds kind of hokey and you're probably saying "Well, Yah…duh".  Fair enough, but most parents lead really hectic, busy, stressful lives.  At the end of your workday making sure you and your children get at least 30 minutes of activity is at the bottom of your list.  You're thinking about what to have for dinner and how much work is waiting for you at home before your day is done.  Saying your child's health is your priority and proving it with actions are two different things.

The President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition (PCFSN) (www.fitness.gov) established May as National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. The President's Challenge (www.presidentschallenge.org) is the PCFSN signature awards and recognition program.

What follows is the video released today by Wellness News on YouTube.  It clearly shows just about everything I would recommend to help you get organized so you can lead your family into fun activities and great nutrition choices.  I would add one more thing.  Plan your weekly menu, even if just a rough guideline.  Get everyone's input for the menu and get help from everyone with dinner prep so it becomes a family affair.  Your quality together time could be munching on fresh veggies and dip while you work together to get a simple dinner on the table.  After dinner is cleaned up follow through on a half hour walk or bike ride.  Finding a trail you like makes it more of an adventure.  I always get a feeling of relaxation as soon as I step off a road and onto a trail.  Enjoy the video and get inspired to make the change to ensure your kids are not part of the obesity epidemic.  You can build a fit family.

Energy Blast Video is a Fit Kids Exercise Dream

Please look in the right sidebar of this blog to see the link to purchase this Canadian exercise DVD.  I own this and use it, along with others, for my daycare business.  By about 9:30a.m. daily, if we are still inside, a change of pace is in order to work out some of the tensions that build up with the non-stop interaction kids of different ages have with one another. 

Judy, the creator, a West Vancouver, B.C. resident, is a physical and health education teacher and is so obviously passionate about her trade.  She has created several kids fitness DVDs and most of them can be done in the classroom with kids standing beside their desks.

This particular kids exercise workout is made up of 65 one minute energy blasts, so you can do 1, 2, 3 or whatever it takes to burn off some pent up energy.  Kids want to be moving, and it doesn't always take a lot of activity to keep them happy.

Judy's energy and enthusiasm are infectious and every segment is presented in such a way that you just can't sit still.  Even little 2-3 year olds, who may not have the coordination skills to perfectly execute each move, have a blast just moving to the music however they please.  I would recommend this DVD to anyone who wants to start small, 1 minute at a time, to build a fun activity routine.

If you keep this in the DVD player while you are watching TV, you could easily turn this on for 1 or 2 minutes while commercials are running.  Great idea for fun family fitness!

Catchy Tune Will Inspire Kids to Make Healthy Food Choices

Here in Canada we are just wrapping up what is known as the Victoria Day Weekend which is traditionally a kick-off to summer. It is also called the May 2-4 weekend.  Historically it was created to celebrate and remember Queen Victoria's birthday.

I live in Muskoka, which is cottage country and one of Canada's most sought after vacation destinations.  We are surrounded by lakes and forests, only an hour from either Algonquin Park and Georgian Bay, 2 other local world renowned adventure and holiday destinations.

Holidays seem to go hand in hand with adventures like camping and hiking for many people.  Our lakes are very busy in the summer with paddlers, skiers and sailing enthusiasts and one of the favourite dinners here in cottage country is the hamburger, usually accompanied by corn on the cob and a salad and often followed by pie and ice cream.  When made at home these family dinners can be a wonderful treat, but dinners such as this can be a slippery slope to obesity, heart disease, high cholesterol, etc. if not balanced through the week with lighter fare.  Don't set your family up for obesity.  Make dinners like this a special treat.

Enjoy this video.  I did.

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