The benefits of physical activity for overall health and wellness cannot be ignored. Keeping cardiovascular health and circulation in tact is a great way to feel good, improve heart health and feel happier overall.
For adults, getting in fitness minutes during the winter months may include joining a gym or taking a regular fitness class. But when it comes to our children ensuring they’re getting enough physical activity each day is a bit more difficult to gauge.
The recommendation of an hour or more of cardiovascular activity is required at the younger ages as it helps with sharpening motor skills, increasing large muscle activity and fostering mental growth.
But how do you do this when the temps are freezing outside and early dark nights make being outdoors difficult?
Here are some fun indoor activities for kids to try this winter.
Dance Party
Make physical activity time fun. Find kid-friendly tunes, crank up the music and just let your children have fun. Continual, high-energy movement from dancing freely makes the time pass and is fun at the same time. There are also games available on gaming systems like the WII that challenge users to follow dance moves or other sports activities which can increase movement when compared to just sitting on the couch playing a non-engaging video game.
Screen Time Fun
While you can’t totally avoid screen time sometimes, you may be able to make the time spent in front of the TV a better opportunity to keep active by making a game out of it. Consider timing your child and testing them at doing jumping jacks during the commercial breaks. This makes a fun challenge out of getting in some fitness minutes while compromising and still allowing them to watch their favorite TV show.
Classic Games
Take it back to basics. Remember the days when playing indoors was an everyday occurrence? Before computers, video games and mobile phones, games like: “Duck, Duck Goose” , “Hot Potato” , “London Bridges” and “Musical Chairs” all involved walking, running, tossing a stuffed potato and sitting and standing to engage the body in movement.
At Cheshire Fitness Zone we know how important it is that kids stay active and have a fun time while getting in exercise. We offer instructor lead Yoga and Zumba classes during winter to give kids something fun to do on Saturdays.
