Making Family Fitness a Priority | Plantation General Hospital

National Family Health and Fitness Day is Saturday, but an active lifestyle is worth pursuing every day.

We know your busy family doesn't need one more thing added onto a to-do list. But this task can be fun.

Everyone in your family ? from the youngest member to the oldest ? can benefit from regular physical activity. Besides fending off childhood obesity, sports and exercise can relieve stress, improve sleep, increase energy, strengthen bones and develop confidence. When done as a family, physical activity becomes a great way to allow families to bond and support each other, while they improve their health.

Not sure how you can get started? Here are some ways you can make family fitness a priority:

• Boost your daily activity. Park farther from your destination when you go to the store, ride bikes to work or school, and exercise in front of the television.
• Get social. Plan activities with friends that involve exercise. Organize physical games everyone can play at parties. Join the YMCA or a running club.
• Carve out time. Take a walk after dinner with your family. Get active on weekends.
• Schedule it. Write down your plans on the family calendar and stick to them. Commit to classes, exercise groups or organized sports.
• Simplify. Try activities that require minimal equipment and planning ? walking, running, jumping rope, aerobics.
• Limit screen time. Sometimes you just need to turn off the television and computers. This frees up more time for the whole family to be active, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Plantation General Hospital is committed to providing high-quality, family-centered health care. If you need to find a pediatric specialist for your children or you need a checkup for yourself, we are happy to give you a referral through Consult-A-Nurse, a free service. Just call? 1-888-256-7724 or search our online physician locator here.

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Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Broward hospitals, childhood obesity, children, exercise, family, Family Health and Fitness Day, fitness, Florida, health, parents, plantation, Plantation General Hospital, sports, weight. Bookmark the permalink.

Source: http://blog.plantationgeneral.com/2012/09/27/making-family-fitness-a-priority/

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