(Originally published in Canadian Family, April/May 2006)

13 fun ways to get your clan moving (with zero whining—really!) 

Does the daily dash from your door to the minivan count as fitness for you and your family? Can’t remember the last time your tween flicked out her iPod earphones to talk, or left the couch, for that matter? Time to tell the whole family to take a hike. You see, walking regularly is practically a magic potion that wards off diabetes, some cancers, high-blood pressure, heart disease and high cholesterol for parents and children, today and later in life. And hel-lo: burning off the caloric equivalent of 1/10th of a pound in an hour is nothing to sneeze at, either. Active living can also boost kids’ grades and self esteem and fight youth depression, alcohol and drug use and smoking, according to recent studies. A few spins around the block offer a great opportunity to catch up and connect, too. “It’s a soul thing,” says Yvonne Romas of her strolls with daughter Hali, 11, and son Tyler, 14, in Ignace, Ont. “We love having the time together without interruption.” Here’s how to get your family moving.

How much is enough?
You’re the best judge of what’s reasonable for your children, but Ottawa-based Dr. Claire LeBlanc, chair of the Canadian Paediatric Society’s advisory committee on Healthy Active Living for Children and Youth, considers a brisk 30-minute walk for kids under 10, and a 60-minute walk for kids over 10, completely achievable. And as for Canada’s Physical Activity Guide recommendation that children ages six to 14 get 60 minutes of moderate and 30 minutes of vigorous activity each day? Hey, that includes couch jumping, skateboarding and running around at recess as well as walking and organized sports. If you and your kids aren’t nearly that active now, however, start with 20 minutes of daily moderate exercise and gradually add 10 minutes of daily vigorous exercise for a month. Then add 10 minutes of moderate and 5 minutes of vigorous daily activity every month until you reach the daily goal. 

Make it a game Pedometers are a great motivator to increase your steps, and a kid-friendly one even more so. University of Waterloo and Dalhousie University researchers found that preteens were much more active with a “Pikachu 2” pedometer that rewarded activity with games, for example, than when using a tool that only measured steps. Your daily step goal? According to research by Catrine Tudor-Locke, an adjunct researcher with the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute in Ottawa, boys who walk 15,000 steps and girls who walk 12,000 steps a day are more likely to enjoy a healthy body weight. Boys tend to eat more calories than girls and so need more activity, says Tudor-Locke, also author of Manko-Pei: The Art and Science of Step Counting (Trafford).

Mix it up One Edmonton family discovered that a variety of activities is the key to success. Craig and Patricia Hildebrandt used to work long hours and their two girls—Paige, now almost seven and Hannah, now almost four—were becoming hard-core TV addicts. They were also all exhausted and cranky. “We knew we needed to take steps to help our family be happy and healthy again,” remembers Patricia. Part of the plan: family walks. Their favourite route is a 3.6 km loop around the neighbourhood, and they regularly hit the indoor track at their local Y, routes at the mall, the household treadmill, and the trails a local nature centre. On the weekends Patricia and Craig will sometimes plan a treasure hunt at a nearby river valley, to the delight of the girls. The payoff has been impressive: in the last year, Patricia’s back pain has dramatically decreased, Craig has shed 10 pounds, and best of all, Hannah and Paige are much happier. “Paige is so full of energy now and so outgoing, and Hannah rarely has temper tantrums and is incredibly social,” says Patricia. “We’ve developed a real closeness and appreciation for each other and that keeps us motivated

Earn some bucks For the past eight years, Yvonne, Al, Hali and Tyler Romas have delivered advertising flyers around their community. It takes between an hour and an hour and a half once a week, and they walk for exercise on other days as well. While the participants change – right now it’s usually Yvonne, Hali and the family dog, Nitro – they always go on foot. It’s a win-win: the kids earn some pocket money to spend on CDs or save up for a snowboard, and they get to hang with the family, too. 

Start ‘em early Scott Patten and Lea Elliot had always gone for walks as a couple, and a few weeks after daughter Mika was born, they headed out for a stroll around their downtown Vancouver neighbourhood. They swear by Ergo’s comfy baby carrier, worn on mom or dad’s chest. “She was usually asleep before we got down the steps,” says Patten. During their parental leaves they walked twice a day or more, and now that Mika is 14-months-old, they walk after work at least once a day. “Mika loves the carrier. She gets to wave at dogs and interact with people in our community.” Travellers, take note: Lea adds that the carrier worked beautifully during a three-week trip around Italy, too. 

Learn while you walk List the letters of the alphabet on a piece of paper, and tell the kids that they need to find and write down one thing on your walk that begins with each letter, suggests Don Zabloski, a physical education consultant for Edmonton Public Schools and The Running Room. This game makes the time fly by, and helps kids get to know their neighbourhood and walking trails. Walking bingo works too, especially for kids who aren’t writing yet. Draw a number of items, such as a birdbath, a black dog, a purple bike and a pizza sign, on a bingo grid. The first one to get a line or a full square wins!

Walk around the world Record the distance you walk as a family, whether it’s steps or kilometers. Pick a place to “walk” to and track it on a map - kids will have fun telling their grandparents they’re walking from Halifax to Montreal to see them. Lots of websites can help you set goals and log distances: walktowhistler.com lets you see how far it is from your city to one of the 2010 Winter Olympic sites, while canadaonthemove.org allows you to “donate” your steps to health research
Set goals Mark walking milestones—say, every 10 km completed, or a big hike through a provincial park—with small treats, like stickers or a family movie night.

Stay safe Slap on the sunblock during the day and wear reflective clothing and carry a flashlight if you’re out at night. Carry water and walk on trails, the sidewalk or the lefthand side of the road, and pay special attention to traffic safety. Kids under age nine don’t have the decision-making skills to reliably and safely cross streets on their own, according to Safe Kids Canada, a national injury prevention program based at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children. 

Read up Why not add some pedestrian-friendly books to your bedtime reading? A few to consider for kids under eight include: A Good Night Walk by Elisha Cooper (Scholastic), I Went Walking by Sue Williams (Harcourt), Daniel and His Walking Stick by Wendy McCormick (Fitzhenry & Whiteside), and Crinkleroot’s Guide to Walking in Wild Places by Jim Arnosky (Aladdin Paperbacks).

Make a difference Once you’ve been fitness walking for a few months and feel confident of your family’s abilities, sign up for a charity walk. (Err on the safe side and choose a short distance or bring a stroller your first time out!) Many communities hold local walks, or check out upcoming national events that support cancer research (Relay For Life, relayforlife.ca); combat world poverty (World Partnership Walk worldpartnershipwalk.ca); send kids [with physical disabilities] to camp (Easter Seals 24-hour Relay, 24HourRelay.com); or drum up funds for the study of multiple sclerosis (Super Cities Walk for MS, mssociety.ca). You’ll work towards a goal, raise much-needed funds and have a great time.

Invent a route Pair an adult with a child and ask them to create a special walk for another family member. Consider a trip around the soccer field for the sports fan, or a cruise past some spectacular gardens for the green thumb in the family. “Walking routes created by kids are almost always more interesting than a simple walk around the block!” says Zabloski. Or, brainstorm with your family to list all the different types of walks you can go on: to a friend’s house, around the mall or walking on the spot during a favourite TV show. Let each family member choose a different destination throughout the week. 

Find a pooch Daily dog walks encourage longer, more regular outings, in part because the humans don’t want to disappoint their four-legged friends, found one study from the University of Missouri-Columbia’s College of Veterinary Medicine. No family Fido? See if your local humane society or animal shelter needs volunteer dog walkers. 

Go backwards If the weather is rotten, head to an indoor track at your local fitness centre. Shake things up by occasionally walking backwards. Here’s how: grab a partner and face each other, holding hands. One walks backwards while the other acts as a guide and spotter. Try for a short distance, then switch. Bonus for parents: This helps prevent knee injuries and strengthens damaged leg muscles and joints. 

Keep walking, nursing moms You may have heard that exercise while you’re lactating can zap levels of immune-enhancing compounds in breast milk, as well as dampen your own immune system. Relax. While exercising to exhaustion is not a good idea, studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro found that brisk 30 minute walks didn’t affect these levels at all, and actually increased cardiovascular fitness. (Just what you’ll need to keep up with that little one!) 

Hunt treasure Take your walk off-road and go geocaching. It’s a hot new adventure game where participants use coordinates from a handheld Global Positioning Unit (GPS) to find hidden outdoor caches, in Canada and around the world. (There are tens of thousands of them so there’s bound to be one in your area.) A cache could contain anything from a logbook to sign your name in to small items like toys, crayons and pins. To get started, visit www.geocaching.com.