Why Walking is Great for Your Family
A family that walks together learns about its community together. Wanting to engage in your environment is not only a natural desire, but also a wonderful educational tool. Walking is great for everyone, but when you spend time as a family doing it the benefits are enormous. It also makes something that might otherwise seem like a chore suddenly become a fun activity – because it's never too early to learn it's all about the journey.
Benefits of Walking for Families
- The older children become, the less active they are. Walking is great cardiovascular exercise, teaching your family skills that will keep them fit and healthy for life.
- By engaging with people in your community during your walks, children will learn to socialize beyond their schoolyard and age group. They will become socially confident.
- By adopting an active lifestyle, your entire family is becoming invested in your community, not just what goes on in your household. This will introduce concepts of civic responsibilities and societal values to your kids.
The older children become, the less active they are. Walking is great cardiovascular exercise.
Tips to Get Your Family Walking
- Start small if your family's not quite ready for the Grouse Grind. Drive to some of the beautiful local parks (like the Queen Elizabeth, Stanley or Hume Park) and conquer those paths and hills until everyone feels comfortable enough to try something more adventurous.
- Incorporate walking into your daily routine. This is an easy way to introduce and reinforce walking into your lifestyle. Even simple walks to run errands in your neighbourhood will yield great benefits over the long run.
- Make it fun. Get everyone excited about an upcoming walk – include a picnic or a visit to the aquarium. Purchase pedometers so everyone can track how many steps they've taken.
- Bring enough snacks and water so everyone stays hydrated and energized throughout the walk. Nothing cuts a day shorter or faster than dropping sugar levels.
- Dress appropriately for the weather and terrain. Anticipate what your needs are and pack wisely – hiking boots, rain ponchos, sunblock, hats, a change of clothes, etc.
- It's not always about nature! Don't forget about all the fun urban walks Metro Vancouver offers: the Seawall, the Central Valley Greenway, architectural tours, outdoor art explorations, culture crawls, or even different neighbourhoods… the options are near endless.
- Set goals to get some friendly competition going! Perhaps a family goal of finishing all the hikes in a particular guide book, or individual goals based on distance walked.
If your family has incorporated walking into their routines, add a comment below to help other users be more TravelSmart!