skills and relationships via doubles play. Strategizing between partners engages teamwork and laughter. Many nearby public parks or school courts are open in the summer. For tips or updates on local leagues, visit
usta.com.
Benefits Transcend Exercise According to Make Physical Activity a Family Event, a recent study sponsored by the Association for Applied Sport Psy- chology, “Participating in family physical activities helps children gain life skills, as well as health benefits,” such as learning teamwork, leadership skills and quality decision-making. Other positive aspects cited include appreciating sportsman- ship, positive role modeling and strength- ening intrafamily relationships. The study further recommends
noncompetitive family activities to round out the potential for whole- family benefits. Working in the yard, group scavenger hunts, early morning calisthenics before work and school, walking the dog and volunteering at a local shelter all make the grade.
Two Trending Activities Since establishing its first stroller fitness
Young adults often credit their parents as their sports or fitness role models.
~ Association for Applied Sport Psychology
franchise in San Francisco 12 years ago, Baby Boot Camp (
BabyBootCamp.com), headquartered in Sarasota, Florida, has been maximizing and expanding moms’ predilection for taking their newborn out for a walk or light run. One-hour classes led by nationally certified fitness experts prompt group stroller power walks, as well as strength- and interval-training sessions, predominantly at malls and recreation centers. “It’s not just about reducing weight.
We inspire mothers to know that it’s pos- sible for them to become even stronger and fitter after having a child than they were before,” says founder and CEO Kristen Horler. “It also provides a larger sense of community, a glue that holds them together and keeps them coming back.” Recently, many of the 150-plus franchises in 25 states, (especially preva- lent in California, Florida, New York
and Texas), began offering free Saturday sessions for dads. Yoga facilities are also engaging extended family members. One exam- ple is Bloom Retreat; originally founded as a mother-and-child community cen- ter in Walnut Creek, California, it now offers couples yoga. “Practicing yoga together offers another way to physi- cally play and communicate,” observes founder and owner Michelle Long. In family sessions, poses include all family members holding hands while balanc- ing on one foot, and touching knees during sitting poses. “Some children are a little threat-
ened by competitive sports, even though others feed on it. When they see this is different, they find a calmer center within themselves. They also see another interesting side of their par- ents,” remarks Long. Kids’ yoga birth- day parties are also on the upswing. Overall, when it comes to ways for
eliciting healthy family recreation, the more, the merrier.
Randy Kambic, a freelance editor and writer in Estero, FL, regularly contrib- utes to Natural Awakenings.
natural awakenings August 2013
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