Fall Fitness Activities with the Family
Fall fitness activities can be challenging as the weather gets cooler. Your options outdoors with the family may seem limited. However, there are still some things you can do together to get exercise. Here are a few of my favorites.
In the fall, I like to go hiking as a family. Hearing the crunch of the leaves underneath our feet is fun. Our kids like to explore the different leaves on the ground, and see their surroundings differently with the leaves down versus when the trees are full of leaves. Make an event of the hike and take in all the senses. There are many Regional and State Park trails to explore, including some awesome options near the Twin Cities. You can enjoy this one with almost any age children.
It snowed early this year, so you might have missed this activity, but raking leaves together is a great way to get outside and be active. Kids love to jump in leaves and throw them up in the air, so that keeps them moving and active. Think about sectioning off your yard and doing a race to see who can rake their section first. You can do this individually or in teams. It’s going to be in the 60’s this week, so maybe you still have time for this one after all.
We are a little past peak season with the leaf colors, so keep this one for next year… Take a fall bike ride and play a search and find game for the different tree colors. You could count how many colors you see in one section of the ride or tally up the number of a certain color you see in an allotted amount of time. Adding a game element to your bike ride may engage the kids more.
You could also move your activities indoors. There are fun apps out there for activities you can download. Or you can stream YouTube videos that encourage movement and make games of indoor activities.
I hope this helps give you some ideas for fall fitness activities. Let me know what you are up to to stay active with your family! In addition, if you enjoyed this article, read more blog posts from UHC!