July 4th: Celebrate Our Nation's Past - and Our Family's Future
2:09 PM July 1, 2011
By the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation
How will you celebrate the 4th of July this year? No matter what you do, it can be an opportunity not just to mark our nation's founding, but also to launch (or build on) a healthy lifestyle for you and your family.
No doubt about it, eating is a big part of the 4th of July holiday. But it's important to remember: There's also a 5th of July. Making sure our kids live a healthy life depends on BALANCE, especially energy balance - making sure that the energy (or calories) we consume is balanced by the energy we expend through physical activity.
July 4th is a day to play. Since it falls on a Monday this year, it makes for a great weekend to do these things - as a family. That works in perfectly with the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation's Together Counts™ program, which encourages families to eat meals together and engage in physical activities together to counter obesity and promote good health.
Why not go out for a family walk after dinner for all three days of the holiday? Or you can throw the Frisbee around. Or how about going on a swim as a family - maybe even make it a race.
If you're having a family picnic, there is nothing more fun than a potato sack race or a three-legged race - or just a regular footrace. When is the last time you got the chance to play touch football with the kids? Or if the kids are younger, tag or hide-and-seek?
The important thing is to keep on moving. It all burns calories - and it all balances out that great food we'll be eating. Let's have a great - active - Fourth of July.
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