I have found a list of 99 ways of how to get more exercise. These tips range from stuff to do at home and around the neighborhood to things to do around the city with your family and neighbors.
How to get more exercise Getting started…
1. Schedule a regular time throughout the week for physical activity.
2. Take turns selecting an activity for the family to do as a group each week
3. Start a log of daily fitness activities for each family member.
4. Adapt all activities to suit those with special needs and preferences.
5. Help everyone to find something active that makes them feel successful.
How to get more exercise – Tips for the Home
6. Designate indoor and outdoor play areas where rolling, climbing, jumping, and tumbling are allowed.
7. Buy toys or equipment that promote physical activity.
8. Select fitness-oriented gifts with the recipient’s skills and interests in mind.
9. Limit time spent watching television programs, videotapes, and playing computer games.
10. Use physical activity rather than food as a reward (e.g. family goes in-line skating).
11. Include grandparents, other relatives, and friends whenever possible.
12. Emphasize the importance of having fun and learning; avoid a push “to win”.
13. Get off the couch and change the channel manually — or better yet, turn it off!
14. Spend as much time outdoors as possible.
How to get more exercise – Tips for the Kitchen
There are lots of opportunities on how to get more exercise in your own kitchen
15. “Pack your own” nutritious snacks and meals for family outings.
16. Keep fresh fruit and vegetables washed, cut-up, chilled and readily available for post-exercise snacking.
17. Have attractive containers of water available during and after workouts.
18. Take the family grocery shopping so everyone can learn to read the nutrition labels (find the cereal that offers the most fiber per serving; find the tastiest non-fat cheese).
How to get more exercise – Tips for School
19. Talk to the physical education teacher about your child’s physical education program and how you can provide support.
20. Encourage your school board to make physical education a priority.
21. Volunteer to help with physical activity events at your child’s school.
22. Join a marching band for excellent exercise.
23. Encourage your school physical education teacher to coordinate family evening and weekend activities in the gymnasium or in the school yard.
How to get more exercise – Tips for Work
How to get more exercise excuses can be put to rest with all the chances that you have even during work.
24. Stop every hour or two to walk and stretch.
25. Devote a portion of your lunch break to physical activity (e.g., walking).
26. Collect data on dollars spent and days of work lost due to illness related to over and/or sedentary lifestyles:
- diabetes
- hypertension
- cardiovascular disease
- stroke
- breast cancer
- and others
Encourage your employer to install facilities and provide incentives to support physical activity.
27. Walk to a co-worker’s desk rather than using the intercom.
28. Make plans with a co-worker to go to a gym or participate in a sport on a weekly basis.
How to get more exercise Tips for Anywhere
29. Pack a lunch for work if it’s hard to find restaurants and delis that offer whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
30. Always use the stairs.
31. Carry items – such as book bags, groceries, and picnic baskets to build strength.
32. Walk, jog, or skip instead of driving (to and from school, grocery store, library, park, etc.).
33. Make chores YOUR chance to be active.
34. Get off the bus a few stops early and walk.
35. Park the car AS FAR AWAY from the entrance as possible.
How to get more exercise – The Great Outdoors
36. Discover what free and low-cost physical activity areas are near your home (park, bike trail, hiking trail, tennis court, swimming pool, etc.).
37. Rake leaves…then jump in them!
38. Shovel snow…build a snow sculpture; make snow angels; build a snow house.
39. Dig and plant in the garden…help everyone plant their own vegetables, fruits and flowers.
40. Chop and stack wood…end with a campfire and sing-a-long.
41. Take a long walk or jog on the beach.
42. Cross country ski around town and into the woods.
43. Use a compass to map out a course – then set out on a walk, jog, or bike hike.
44. Canoe or raft for an entire afternoon.
45. Ice skate for a great winter workout.
46. Skiing always gives the family a lift.
47. Jump into water sports – enjoy water walking and aerobics.
48. Play mixed-age water volleyball.
49. Visit outdoor education centers.
50. Take a nature hike.
51. Go up, up and away with a kite flying day.
52. Go to a driving range or enjoy a game of miniature golf.
53. Go camping where you can pitch a tent, gather firewood, fish, bike, and walk.
54. Visit farms throughout the year where you can pick your own strawberries, peaches, and apples.
55. Plan cycling trips on safe trails by calling your local bike shop or bike club.
how to get more exercise – YES, in your own backyard!
56. Run, jog, and walk in a family treasure hunt.
57. Toss around as many different-shaped ballls/objects as you can find.
58. Juggle with the entire family.
59. Play “Hit and Go” croquet – hit the ball and run to it – across the whole yard.
60. Count hula hoop rotations.
61. Jump rope – practice rhythms, rhymes and tricks.
62. Play a “hot potato” game of Frisbee.
63. Play an action-packed game of badminton…serve from where the birdie drops.
64. Jump on Pogo stick and count bounces.
65. Build stilts and walk on them to create laughter and exercise.
66. Ride on a skate board (with knee, wrist and elbow pads and helmets).
67. Play hopscotch and organize a family tournament.
68. Run and dodge in a “Tag and You’re It” game.
69. Play traditional and modified backyard sports: basketball, softball, volleyball, and tetherball.
70. Practice on in-line skates (with knee and elbow pads and helmets) – go further and get faster each day.
71. Take the family pet for a walk or jog.
72. Wash the car…enjoy an active game with the hose.
How to get more exercise for the neighborhood, community and beyond…
73. Create your own Olympic events at a family reunion or neighborhood block party.
74. Organize a family swim outing – be sure to swim with a buddy in supervised areas.
75. Enjoy a weekend afternoon of physical activities at a local community center.
76. Enter and walk in holiday parades, ethnic festivals, and charity fund raisers.
77. Walk or bike to a nearby playground – challenge family members to try their skills swinging, crossing a horizontal ladder.
78. Take a historical (or architectural) walk or cycling tour.
79. Plan a “block fitness festival” including relay races.
80. Adopt a highway, park, or beach, and keep it clean.
81. Participate in a “volksmarch.” It’s German for a “people’s walk,” is social in nature, and usually 10 kilometers (6.2 miles).
82. Help organize mall walks – especially in bad weather.
83. Help organize your building, development, or community to exercise on preset routes at preset times so you can keep each other company.
84. Enter a “Fun Run” or a “Bike-a-Thon.”
85. Encourage local religious and civic organizations to allow halls to be used for indoor family activities.
How to get more exercise – Take advantage of facilities in your neighborhood
86. Join the YMCA/YWCA or a health club.
87. Organize a party at an indoor ice or roller skating rink.
88. Bowl to your heart’s content.
89. Participate in a mixed-age martial arts class.
How to get more exercise – On rainy days or when stormy weather keeps you indoors
Don’t Be Stuck – Liven Up!… Music Makes It Easy!
90. Create a family video of exercise routines.
91. Invite friends and neighbors over for some country western line dancing.
92. Invent a new dance and name it after your family.
93. Host a dance fever contest.
94. Share dances from each generation in your family.
95. Throw an ethnic/multi-cultural dance party.
How to get more exercise – Take advantage of what you’ve got around the house
96. Use a bench or steps for step-aerobic workout.
97. Play “Twister” or other indoor active games.
98. Encourage everyone to “act out” a story as you read it.
99. Build an obstacle course in the basement or garage on a rainy day.
So now you have a big bad list. There are no excuses left and now it is time for you to work at how to get more exercise into your busy day.
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