Get your neighborhood moving

September 17, 2009

The YMCA has teamed up with the America On the Move Foundation to promote America On the Move Week September 20-27, providing a great opportunity to rally your family and neighborhood to get going.

Link a few yards to create an obstacle course for a fast-paced family feud. Have each family decide on a team name and design t-shirts, sweatbands and water bottles using fabric paint or iron-on lettering for the big event.

Host a healthy snack picnic after the competition to rejuvenate the teams. Serve vegetables with low-fat dip or hummus, granola bars and trail mix to give everyone a boost without the jolt of sugary snacks.

Move the fun indoors by having the kids learn the basics of healthy eating. Provide each child with markers, stickers, glue, glitter and any other craft supplies they need and challenge them to design a food pyramid.

Once they've finished, give them string and paper clips to turn the pyramid into a hanging mobile to serve as a constant reminder to make smart choices when chowing down. Before it gets dark, have the whole family get some group exercise by taking a walk.

You might even convince them to use their new skills to help make dinner. Have them decide what healthy dish to make and encourage them to design menus for the whole family.