It’s 3pm on a Sunday.
My daughter is sitting at the computer, reading up on the stats from the latest Essendon match (she’s only eight but she’s a keen supporter).
“Time for our walk,” I say.
“A little bit later,” she replies not really meaning it.
“Come on, it’ll be fun. We never know who or what we will see on the way,” I coax.
“Nah, I don’t want to,” she persists.
As parents, we’ve all been there.
When the screen is on, our children stick like glue. Dragging them away is close to impossible. Much like ourselves, walking away from the task at hand – be it work, cooking, cleaning, or simply watching TV – is not always easy.
But when my daughter and I eventually do head out for a walk, a bike ride or a hit of tennis, or just to throw the ball around we love it.
The joy from being outdoors and the increased happy hormones (endorphins) flow as we challenge each other to short runs. We talk and laugh. I learn more about my daughter when we’re being active than I do sitting with her in front of the TV.
Like most families, we say we should do it more often. But life happens. We work too hard and too late. We find it hard to commit to physical activity. So, to help you (and me) make that commitment, we’ve developed a program called ActivityBuddies. It’s a FREE online community that connects you with people with similar goals – other families, parents, carers and grandparents looking for a buddy to help them get active and commit to a healthier lifestyle.
You and your buddy decide on a suitable time and place to be active. If your buddy is waiting for you in the park, at the tennis courts or at the gym, you wouldn’t leave them waiting. You’d put aside your work, the ironing or the cleaning and join them for some physical activity. Having an ActivityBuddy makes perfect sense.
Being active with another family will make physical activity more exciting for the childrenas well.
Visit www.ActivityBuddies.com.au to create a profile, choose your activities, search for a buddy and commit to being active today!
