| 7 Tips to Fight the Urge to Slouch on Your Couch  Put a spring in your step this spring! The warmer, longer days provide a perfect opportunity to get off your couch, spend quality time with your family and friends, and burn some calories.
Here are seven tips to get motivated that don’t require fancy equipment or membership fees. - Walk. Walking is simple and fun. Walk your children to school, take the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator, and take a family walk and talk after dinner. If the weather is bad, take a brisk walk around a shopping mall.
- Dance. Turn on some music and dance with your kids. Play the air guitar while you’re doing your chores. Instead of going out to eat, go out dancing.
- Plan a party with active games. Invite some friends over to play games or have a game night with your family. Play tag or Simon Says. Try drawing chalk lines on the pavement for four-square or hop-scotch, or pull out a Frisbee,™ some hula hoops, or a croquet set.
- Put some life in your living room. Put down the remote and pick up some hand weights. Have a situp or pushup contest with your kids.
 Plant a garden. Plant a vegetable or herb garden with your children. Good choices to plant include tomatoes, lettuce, and peppers, as well as basil, parsley, and chives. Feature your fresh ingredients in these popular recipes from the Keep the Beat™: Deliciously Healthy Eating Web site: - Watermelon and Tomato Salad
- Roasted Red Pepper and Toasted Orzo
- Bruschetta (shown)
- Try a new activity. Take an exercise class at a community center and enroll your kids, too. Great options include tennis, soccer, yoga, aerobics, and swimming. Be sure to ask your children what activities they want to do.
- Take a hike. As a family, explore a new place, such as a community garden, national park, or zoo.
Check out more tips to rev up your activity levels Physical activity can be done in small, 10-minute chunks of time over the day and throughout the week. Aim for a minimum of 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity a week, as health experts recommend this level to reduce the risk of chronic disease later in life. Sixty minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity activity on most days of the week will help you avoid gradual weight gain. Children and teens (aged 6–17 years) should be physically active for at least 60 minutes on most, if not all, days. Most of the 1 hour or more a day should be either moderate- or vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity. Learn more about how much physical activity you and your family should get
We Can!® We Can!® (Ways to Enhance Children's Activity & Nutrition) is a national movement designed to give parents, caregivers, and entire communities a way to help children 8 to 13 years old stay at a healthy weight. Research shows that parents and caregivers are the primary influence on this age group. The We Can! national education program provides parents and caregivers with tools, fun activities, and more to help them encourage healthy eating, increased physical activity, and reduced time sitting in front of the screen (TV or computer) for their entire family. We Can! also offers organizations, community groups, and health professionals a centralized resource to promote a healthy weight in youths through community outreach, partnership development, and media activities that can be adapted to meet the needs of diverse populations. Science-based educational programs, support materials, training opportunities, and other resources are available to support programming for youths, parents, and families in the community. Learn more about We Can!
Popular Resources  Explore the booklet, Your Guide to Physical Activity and Your Heart
- Calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI) online
- Download a BMI Calculator App (for iPhone)
- Learn about the new Strategic Plan for NIH Obesity Research
™Keep the Beat is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
®We Can! Ways to Enhance Children's Activity & Nutrition, We Can!, and the We Can! logos are registered trademarks of HHS.
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