Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Carletta Sanders of Successful Homeschooling.
Almost every parent can relate to feeling as if the busyness of life has crowded out that which is most important – family, happiness, and wellness. Our jobs are often sedentary, our schedules jam-packed, and our time with our family rushed and much too short.
After months of trying to figure out how to add exercise to the equation, it finally dawned on me to simply put on my sneakers, step outside my front door, and take a walk with my kids. After all, walking is free, it doesn’t require special equipment, and it’s an activity that even an overweight, uncoordinated, mom of four can perform without injury.
We all know about the benefits of eating dinner as a family. However, taking family walks is also a great way improve health and strengthen family relationships.
Here are 5 reasons you should take walks as a family:
1. Walking is Great Exercise.
When I wake up in the morning before the kids, and the house is quiet, the last thing I want to do is hop on my treadmill for a vigorous workout. And at the end of the day, when everyone is asleep, I just want to crawl into bed. By walking with my kids, I get much needed exercise without sacrificing valuable quiet time.
A daily walk of 30-minutes or more can promote weight loss and reduce the risks of chronic illnesses, such as high- blood pressure and diabetes. Don’t become obsessed with miles per hours and calories, though. Let your children stop and look at bugs, collect leaves or stomp in water puddles. Relax, and enjoy these special times with your loved ones.
2. Sometimes Nature is the Best Medicine.
Fresh air provides your body with an abundance of oxygen that promotes healing and mental clarity. Sunlight provides your body with much needed vitamin D, and stimulates production of endorphins and other brain chemicals that relieve depression and improve moods.
Make an effort to get outside daily, no matter the season or weather. If it’s cold out, take a quick lap around the block. On nicer days, take a leisurely stroll to a nearby park, store or library. Moving around outdoors is a great way burn off stress and excess energy so the entire family sleeps better at night.
3. Reconnect with Your Spouse and Kids.
At the end of a long day, a good walk can help you unwind mentally and physically so you can more readily connect with your spouse and children. When my husband joins us for walks, it becomes a mini date night. As we hold hands and talk while the kids run in front of and alongside us, we marvel at what we created together. Life is good.
4. Replace Bad Habits.
Carving out time for daily walks with your family means you will have less time for unhealthy pursuits like excessive television, video game, cell phone and computer use. Every hour spent outside with your family is an hour when you’re not overeating, overspending, or obsessing over blog analytics.
Family walks can also rescue you from the guilt of allowing your children to become sedentary. It’s hard to feel bad about your parenting when your children are running, skipping, jumping, riding bikes, and laughing with joy at your side.
5. Engage Your Community.
Overconsumption of media can make you feel like the end of the world is quickly approaching. However, there’s nothing like watching the neighborhood kids splash around in the sprinklers that can make you forget about crime statistics and feel that all is right in the world.
For all of the communication streams we have at our fingertips, many of us feel more disconnected than ever. Online relationships, no matter how valuable, can’t replace face-to-face interaction. Walking around your neighborhood and interacting with neighbors reduces isolation and gives you a true sense of community. You are not alone.
Don’t Over Think It.
There’s nothing complex about the idea of taking a walk with your family, so don’t allow yourself to get sidetracked with weight-loss charts, pedometers and heart rate monitors. Just grab some water, lace on your sneakers, and go.
Learn more about Carletta and her family by reading her her homeschool blog or by visiting her website, Successful Homeschooling
You know, thinking about my own childhood, talking walks with my family through the woods was quite memorable. Your find cools sticks and leaves, and bugs, and hear sounds your wouldn’t normally hear in the bubble of your house. And it was fun to see my parents become curious with us kids too.
Thanks for the reminder of what a simple yet cohesive family activity that is.
This is so true! We live in California right next to the mountains. Walking as a family is one of our weekend activities. It’s a great way to get away from the doldrums of being inside and dealing with family issues. We don’t discuss anything related to “problems”. It’s just an hour or so of enjoying nature and talking about positive things, not problem-solving! Enjoyed this post.
Love walking with my family! Actually took some of my grandkids on a walk last weekend, very fun to see through the eyes of preschoolers again!
Bernice
Ahh, the American Dream and a cure
This was a really nice exploration of a simple idea!
This article is spot on! I like to do little walks with my son on the way home from school where we discuss things like homework, how his day was etc. Even a twenty minute walk does wonders at the end of a day.
I completely agree with you! Family walks are one of my favorite things to do. It is great when my 5 year old rides his bike while we walk too. Have a great day :)
I have always been a big walker, but this past 9 months my wife and I have come to love it even more. We’re expecting our first child in just one week and throughout the entire pregnancy we’ve made walking together a part of every day.
For us, connecting was the most valueable benefit. When our walking we tend to have conversations that we wouldn’t at home. I don’t know if it’s the act of walking or the fact that at home we get distracted by books, work, computers, etc. Whatever the reason, we’ve had some of our best conversations ever while walking.
And when not walking with someone else, I love the peacefulness of walking alone. I practice walking meditation regularly and it has added a new dimension to my overall meditation practice.
thanks so much for the reminder of the best moments in life!! the ones that are free careless and so much more peaceful without all the distractions of everday life!! even as a stay at home mom i get tied up in housework and chores and just dealing with everyday life i think a daily walk with the kds would the a perfect thing for us to unwind and spend some undistracted family time together. although my husband works late nites so mostly wont be able to it will help the kids andi get out of the house and let some of our stress and energy out and he can join us on weekends! thanks for the reminder of the greatest things which is the simple things in life!!! LIFE IS GOOD!!!!!
I love how taking a walk can completely change the feel of the moment. Just the change of scenery can change everyone’s moods and behavior. Even if things aren’t any different when we walk back in the door, there was a window of goodness to help us make a shift in how we approach things!