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Family Fitness Night

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Families today juggle busy schedules filled with school, work, and household responsibilities.1-4 While parents and caregivers understand the importance of fitness, finding the time and motivation to get everyone moving can be a challenge. With so many ways to be active, it can be hard to know what’s best for your family. The key is to choose activities that everyone will enjoy. When exercise is fun, it’s easier to make it part of your routine for the long term.5

Fun activities

Families report several factors that increase the amount of fun had while being physically active. These include:

  • Walking to a specific destination5
  • Doing a fun activity at a preferred destination5
  • Trying new activities6

Consider the following ideas to help you create a fun family fitness night.

1. Hidden Gems Family Fun Guides

These free guides are designed to encourage family engagement that include fun activities and questions to help your family communicate and be physically active. There are several guides to choose from with options including activities at home or outside, and themes for scavenger hunts, holidays, events, and travel.

Click the link below to complete a short form and select the free guides of your choice.

Download the Hidden Gems Family Fun Guides

2. Walk Across Texas

This program is an 8-week program designed to help Texans establish the habit of regular physical activity. You can sign up today and register your family as a walking team and work together to walk 832 miles – the number of miles that it takes to walk across Texas.

Learn More About Walk Across Texas

3. 10&10,000 Change Challenge

This program is designed for individuals and aims to help you steadily increase the number of steps you take and the number of fruits and vegetables you eat. Visit the program page to register and view a handout on how to get your family involved in this health program.

Learn more about the 10&10,000 Change Challeng

Infographic

Download the PDF or share the image below to help others learn more about Family Fitness Night.

Family Fitness Night – Infographic (pdf)

family-fitness-night-infographic
Click or tap the image to view a larger version of the Family Fitness Night Infographic.

References

  1. Ferreira Silva, R. M., Mendonca, C. R., Azevedo, V. D., Raoof Memon, A., Noll, P. R. E. S., & Noll, M. (2022). Barriers to high school and university students’ physical activity: A systematic review. PloS one, 17(4), e0265913.
  2. Manaf, H. (2013). Barriers to participation in physical activity and exercise among middle-aged and elderly individuals. Singapore Med J, 54(10), 581-586.
  3. Moreno, J. P., & Johnston, C. A. (2014). Barriers to physical activity in women. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 8(3), 164-166.
  4. Reichert, F. F., Barros, A. J., Domingues, M. R., & Hallal, P. C. (2007). The role of perceived personal barriers to engagement in leisure-time physical activity. American journal of public health, 97(3), 515-519.
  5. Milton, K., Kelly, P., Bull, F., & Foster, C. (2011). A formative evaluation of a family-based walking intervention-Furness Families Walk4Life. BMC Public Health, 11(1), 614.
  6. Lakicevic, N., Gentile, A., Mehrabi, S., Cassar, S., Parker, K., Roklicer, R., … & Drid, P. (2020). Make fitness fun: could novelty be the key determinant for physical activity adherence?. Frontiers in psychology, 11, 577522.