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New Year's resolutions for the whole family history
Family-centered ideas that could turn talk into action and temporary change into lifestyle change. Alas, we arrive once again at that magical time of year when all things have become new -- a new year, new promises for the future, a time to begin one more time. The slate has been cleared, ready for us to etch our dreams and goals for a fresh new year upon it. And arranged somewhere near the top of everyone's "resolutions" is a list of things we promise to do, or not to do, to be more healthy. As kids, we heard our parents chatting about their New Year's resolution, but do we also remember how most of them faded by mid-February (if they got started at all)? As yesterday's kids, parents today are probably making a lot of the same self-promises and have possibly been forced to join the local chapter of "resolutions fallen by the wayside." Wouldn't it be neat if instead of making individual resolutions, we could encourage family-oriented resolutions? It's kind of like the buddy system, and health clubs and recreation centers could help promote it. What better way to increase family member satisfaction than by showing your members you care deeply about the health of their entire family. Using New Year as a mnemonic, let's take a look at some family-centered ideas that could turn talk into action and temporary change into lifestyle change. Nutrition and exercise programs geared toward adults and children are tremendous events to host. Provide simple snacks with the caloric value of each displayed and an equivalent exercise to burn the amount of calories consumed. Then, contrast healthful choices with high-calorie examples (no actual food) with amount of exercise needed to burn those calories. Get your aerobic and fitness staff involved by having them set up exercise stations in the room to burn off calories before or after the snack is consumed. |
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Encourage families to design
their very own "Family Fitness Calendar." Each family member can
take turns choosing fitness activities to be done for the week.
Recommend they set realistic, agreed-upon goals. Design an
incentive program to keep the whole group on track, such as
"healthy pizza night" or a trip to the yogurt store at the end
of a health-conscious week. Workouts can be designed for parent and child. Formats could include slide, partner step or a variety of circuits. Try setting up stations around the room with hula hoops, steps, jump ropes, balls, bean bags, obstacle courses, etc. Throw on some hot tunes and let the fun begin! Your very own, club-approved list of "Family Fit Tips" can be made available to members. Simply come up with 10 or so brief tips on how families can stay healthy. Such as, "A family walk or bike ride is a great way to exercise your heart muscle." After having written your list of tips, have them printed on heavy stock paper with your club's logo prominently displayed at the top. Recommend to your members that they post the list on the refrigerator. Then, each day, they can be reminded of health tips provided by your club, again reinforcing your commitment to their family's health and fitness. If you really want to get fancy, having the Family Fit Tips printed on a refrigerator magnet. Enlist family members and neighbors to become involved in a club "contest" that challenges them to perform fitness-oriented activities around their home and neighborhood. Brainstorm a list of ideas, and make them available to your members (such as picking up trash at a local park for 30 minutes. Encourage them to come up with ideas of their own, as well. Each minute of activity would be worth one point. For example, if Joe Smith, his wife and two kids rode bikes for 60 minutes, they would receive 240 points (60 minutes = 60 points x 4 people). If Joe then organized a neighborhood softball game with 10 people and they play for two hours, he would get 1,200 points. Of course, everything would need to be on the honor system. Make a big deal out of the contest and get everyone thinking about playing hard and being fit. Winners of the club contest might be awarded a special T-shirt or special recognition in your club newsletter (and the club might get some new member referrals from neighbors, too). Also, notify your local newspaper for additional PR. |
A family "Health Fair" is always a delightful idea. Invite a
local pediatrician or child dentist to spend time visiting with the
children. It's a great way to relieve some fears for the little ones, and an
effective way for the doctors to get their names out in the community.
Perhaps a professional clown in the area would be willing to donate a couple
of hours handing out balloons to the children. Recruit your aerobics staff
to put together a few short play/exercise demos using fun props like steps,
hula hoops or balls. Showcase some of the children in the demos so that
health fair attendees can see how much fun kids can have working out. Your
fitness staff can check blood pressure and cholesterol levels and hand out
materials on how to control both. Handy tips on weight management, as well
as nutritional tips, can be made available. Have some steps and slides
accessible for the kids to play on (supervised of course). This would also
be a perfect time to survey your members to see what other types of
activities would appeal to them and their families.
Round up parents and children for a "Fun Run/Walk." Parents are always
looking for fun things to do with their kids on the weekend -- something
that gets kids away from cartoons and video games. This type of event allows
everyone to move at their own pace -- strollers can be pushed, wagons can be
pulled, etc. Charge a nominal fee to participate, and have the affair
culminate with a barbecue. This type of activity also creates an opportunity
for members and their children to get to know other people from your club.
Helping to motivate your family members into making fitness and good health
part of their value system is a great way to begin 1995. Taking better care
of yourself is a wonderful New Year's resolution for anyone. And if people
can see how easy it really is and how good it feels, the benefits can be
lifelong. Happy, healthy New Year to all!
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