Family Time

With endless errands and hectic workloads, tight schedules often cast quality family time by the wayside. Reinstate togetherness as a priority with a few creative techniques for incorporating fun, fitness, and family into your walking agenda.

Generate generational gems. Upgrade your workout by popping little ones into a stroller and pushing them throughout your neighborhood. Engage their senses by identifying colors, sounds, and smells you encounter. Let your preschooler tag along, challenging them to mini-races between sign posts or to the playground. Invite your older kids on a walk-and-talk to the mall or store of their choice. The library or a healthy restaurant can be a final destination for you and the entire crew. Look for opportunities to bond with your kids, no matter their age, by incorporating their interests into 2-legged journeys.

Kindle kindred cooperation. Pick a day to meander to a family event — such as your favorite museum or a picnic in the park. Is there a movie theater close by? Perhaps a local sporting event can encourage even the most incorrigible teenager to join up. Or select outings that integrate walking by default — like through a zoo, nature preserve, or river walk. Do you live near where you grew up? Invite your kids on a trip back in time and teach them something new about your past… and theirs.