The holidays are always a tricky time when it comes to managing your weight. From Thanksgiving through New Year’s, food flows freely and very little of it, strictly speaking, is good for you. A bit of friendly competition with the family can make all the difference. Check out some family-friendly weight loss challenges and stay fit this holiday season and all through the year.
The Hiking Challenge
Challenge your family to get up early at least once a week and go on a hike. Dress warm if it’s cold where you are, but get out there and take a walk in the woods or even just around the neighborhood. Challenge each other to increase the time regularly. Start with, say, 30 minutes. Then kick it up to 45 minutes, then an hour, and so forth.
If you’d rather base your hikes on distance, start with a half-mile, then a mile, and keep going from there. Before you know it you’ll be on long walks, enjoying each other’s company and losing pounds while you do it.
The Biking Challenge
For some people, riding a bicycle is more fun than hiking. While many cities are becoming more bike-friendly, we suggest sticking to trails as opposed to bike lanes in traffic. They’re safer and more scenic.
One fun challenge for family biking is to schedule races. Make sure you have an open trail where you won’t endanger yourself, other bikers, or hikers. Run a family race to see who can get to the finish line first. Be sure to wear your knee pads, elbow pads, and helmets for extra safety.
The Holiday Football Game
Football is a grand tradition all across the country. Why not incorporate it into weight loss challenge ideas for the family? Before or after holiday meals (be sure to give your food a chance to digest), you can head out for a pickup game in the local sports field, park, or even your backyard. If you don’t like football, you can try soccer, baseball, dek hockey, or even ice hockey if you’ve got a safe surface to skate on.
The Healthy Eating Challenge
This may not be the most exciting idea, but challenge your family to healthy eating outside of those big meals. See who can drink the most water for two weeks (coffee and flavored drinks don’t count). See who can keep to a strict regimen of healthy calories. Watch who eats the fewest carbs and who kicks up their protein the most. (Here is a little cheat sheet to give you a foot up in the competition!)
The Ninja Challenge
Setting up a ninja obstacle course in your backyard is among the more exciting and pulse-pounding weight loss challenge ideas for the family. Challenge each other with difficult obstacles and see who can get the farthest the fastest. From basic inner-tube runs to monkey bars and more complex obstacles, you can challenge yourself and your family to get healthy while building up the family’s athleticism.
If you’d like other ideas for health challenges, contact Advanced Medical Weight Loss to learn more, or check out more of our blogs for more fun tips!