Top tips to get active with the family
Do you have an active family? Do the activities you do together involve movement and exercise? Here are some tips for active living to help your family look and feel great, as well as decrease your risk of lifestyle-related health problems in the future.
Walk and cycle with the children:
- Go for a ride or walk on the off-road walking and bike. Check out gold coast cycleways, foreshoreways and the oceanway.
- Schedule a regular family walk/cycle which is a great way to pass on healthy habits to your children and spend time together, while getting fit at the same time.
- Make sure the family has the right safety equipment
- When walking with children, make sure the route and length of time spent walking is appropriate to their age. Approximately 1km per birthday is a good rule of thumb. For example, a four year old can be expected to walk up to 4km, with plenty of rest breaks.
- Start good habits early. Take young babies and toddlers for walks in their pram. As they get older, encourage them to walk part of the way.
Plan an active picnic:
Go for a picnic at the beach and include swimming, ball games or beach walks. Don’t forget to be sunsafe and drink plenty of water in our hot summer.
Take a walk in a national park:
Have a healthy picnic in the bush or go bird watching. The Gold Coast has heaps of beautiful, natural environments to explore. Try the walks at these national parks or check out the Environmental Protection Agency / Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.
- Burleigh Head National Park
- Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens (Rosser Park) is 31 hectares of parkland on Ashmore Road, Benowa, Gold Coast.
- Lamington National Park (inc. Binna Burra)
- Springbrook National Park includes Springbrook Plateau, Natural Bridge, Mount Cougal & Numinbah Forest Reserve
- Nerang Forest reserve
- Pine Ridge Conservation Park
- Tamborine National Park
Visit a park:
Go to the local park and organise ball games with your children and their friends. Invite other parents as well. Click here, here or here for some common game ideas, or get kids to make up and agree on their own rules.
Hunt for treasure:
Plan a treasure hunt or mystery walk around the neighbourhood following a map.
Include a family bus trip in your day:
Try walking or catching public transport on family outings such as going to the movies, shopping or visiting relatives and friends. Even a short walk to a bus stop helps to increase your daily physical activity level.
Keep a treasure chest:
Be prepared – have a box at home and in the car with balls, a frisbee or a kite etc, and you will be always ready for action.
Think active when shopping:
Give gifts or toys that promote physical activity and family fun such as bats, balls, skipping ropes, skates or bikes.
