Keeping healthy by sticking to your fitness routine and eating well isn’t always easy for us. As parents, we try to lead by example in hopes that our kids start off their lives in a healthy way and build the foundations for a healthy life ahead.

We’ve found some great products that every member of the family will love – from high tech to low and even a great tasting smoothie (with protein, greens and everything!) for the kids that they’re actually going to like.

Family Fitness Tips for Spring:

• Get out and go for a bike ride, a run, a hike, play some outdoor games!
• Sticking to your driveway? Get out the hula hoops! Get some sidewalk chalk and play hop scotch. Skip rope and learn some fun skipping rhymes while you’re at it!
• Stuck inside? Pop in a workout DVD and encourage the kids to join in or if you have a gaming system, there are lots of great systems to keep the family active and having fun together!

Looking for more fitness and nutrition tips for the family? Scroll down past the product info below!

Technology, whether low-tech like a fitness DVD or high-tech like these other products we’ve brought is such a useful tool to help us all keep motivated by helping us track our progress and reach our goals.

Orange Naturals ND Shake Kids – MSRP $30.99 CDN/400 g bag

Click Here for your chance to WIN some Orange Naturals products for the family and a $50 gift card!

• Helps families bring natural health into their homes
• Custom made ND Shake helps support a child’s development with a multi-vitamin built right in
• Vegan and gluten free
• Contains, plant based protein, greens and super fruits that are highly absorbable
• Tastes great! Ideal for picky eaters with developing bodies
• Vanilla or Chocolate flavours
• GMO-free, no dairy, no gluten, soy protein, eggs or nuts

GeoPalz iBitz PowerKey Activity Tracker $34.99 CDN  – Thank you Chapters/Indigo for providing this to PTPA for the show! Available for purchase here.

• Keeping kids active will be a breeze with this wearable Activity Tracker. Designed to work with your iOS devices and the iBitz PowerKey app, this tough little device will use an interactive game to keep your kids moving all day long.
• Download the free iBitz Kids App, which includes an interactive game with a virtual pet character; just by walking, running and playing, your child will keep the pet alive and healthy
• Parents can set goals and rewards for kids through the app, including screen time or a trip to the zoo, and more
• The iBitz ecosystem lets parents use the iBitz Unity tracker (sold separately) and easily share their data and compare fun stats with kids
• Water-resistant and tough enough to take on kids’ wear and tear

Stott Pilates – Pilates for Beginners Kit: approx. $39.99

• This is a great way for beginners of all ages to learn and enjoy the basics of Stott Pilates
• Includes the essential Pilates components to start down the road of healthier living: a graphic-print exercise mat, a regular-strength Flex-Band exerciser, an aluminum water bottle, a Basic Pilates 2nd Ed. DVD and Total Body Sculpting DVD
• Perfect for: Strength Training, Toning, Stretching, Core Muscle Conditioning, Total Body Workout, Flexibility

Fitbit Flex Wireless Activity & Sleep Wristband $99.99: Can be purchased at your local Telus store!

Enter to win this product! Click here. Contest ends March 31st at 11:59pm EST.

• Tracks your steps, distance and calories burned
• Set a goal and Flex’s LED lights will tell you how you’re doing
• It automatically syncs stats to your computer, smartphone or tablet, making it easy to see your progress and stay on top of your goals
• iPhone or Android Fitbit app lets you set goals, check progress and earn badges
• Log food, weight and more on Fitbit’s website or app

Once you have the Fitbit app, you’ll learn that there are other products that you can add in to their program to help you track and stick to your goals like the…

Fitbit Aria Wi-fi Smart Scale $129.99: Thank you Chapters/Indigo for providing this to PTPA for the show! Available for purchase here.

• Tracks your weight, body fat percentage, and BMI
• Helps you determine your long-term progress.
• It wirelessly syncs your stats with online graph and mobile tools that help you stay motivated and on track.
• Each time you step on this innovative scale, it wirelessly sends data to your Fitbit account, displaying your progress in an easy-to-read online graph
• Perfect for the whole family, Aria recognizes up to eight users and keeps accounts private with passwords.

PEAR Mobile Training System fir iPhone or Android $99.95:

• Perfect for all levels from beginner to expert
• Real-time fitness coaching using your heart rate so you’re working out at the right intensity for your goals no matter which of their 100’s of workout plans you’re doing
• Easy to use – just choose a workout, fire up your music, and a world-class coach takes it from there, providing real-time audio coaching directly into your ear.
• It guides you step by step, telling you when to speed up or slow down, provides useful tips to improve your form, explains the purpose and benefits of the workout, and keeps motivating you.
• PEAR will also deliver real-time stats like time, distance, heart rate, current zone, pace, calories burned, and more, with the simple touch of a button.
• They are designed in such a way that they do not block out ambient noise, making outdoor workouts safer.

Yurbuds Inspire Women In-Ear Sport Earphones $29.99

• Developed by women for women – designed to fit smaller ears!
• FlexSoft™ Comfort Fit buds bring comfort and the TwistLock technologies guarantee they will never hurt or fall out – so go ahead and get in some crazy moves!
• Sweat- and water-resistant so no you can work out uninterrupted
• Allow for ambient noise awareness (important for safety when out for a run!)
• Deliver premium dynamic, rich, deep sound that’s consistent

More Fitness and Nutrition Tips for the Family

We pulled this helpful information from http://healthycanadians.gc.ca. We recommend visiting them for additional helpful info!

Let’s start with some stats:

• Obesity rates among children and youth in Canada have nearly tripled in the last 30 years.
• On average, only 12% of Canadian children take part in enough physical activity.
• Children and youth who are obese are at higher risk of developing a range of health problems, and weight issues in childhood are likely to persist into adulthood.
• Obese children have a high chance of remaining obese as adults who are more likely to develop the physical and emotional health problems associated with obesity such as type-2 diabetes, heart disease, low self-esteem, depression, bullying, etc.
• Since 2007 the Canadian government has offered a children’s physical activity tax credit for up to $500 a year per child under the age of 16. Be sure to ask for a receipt when registering your child for their qualifying fitness program!

There are some great tips on their site with ideas on how to help your child maintain a healthy weight and become more physically fit as well as what they can do at different age groups:

• Children and teenagers should participate in at least 60 minutes of physical activity per day. This can include walking to and from school, playing sports, or riding a bike.
• Reaching this goal of 60 minutes in total is easy. Increase your child’s physical activity by just five or 10 minutes every few weeks and it will eventually add up to 60 minutes.
• For kids 5 – 11 years: One hour of moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity daily. Encourage walking to school – get them to skateboard, bike or run if they don’t enjoy walking. Encourage them to dance to their favourite music. Take them to the playground or park and reduce screen time.
• For kids 12 – 17 years: An hour every day of moderate- to vigorous-intensity activity with activities that build muscle and bone at least 3 days a week. Encourage them to walk the family dog, help with yard work, join a sports team at their school, try a yoga class, help them set activity goals they can work on achieving. Also reduce screen time.

 More Tips & Ideas:

• Set a positive example by being physically active as a family. Plan regular outings to hike, cycle, walk, skate, etc.
• Try new activities as a family – you may be surprised at what you or your kids enjoy!
• Don’t go grocery shopping when you’re hungry – you’re more likely to grab unhealthy foods. If you don’t bring home unhealthy foods they won’t get eaten!
• Play together! Grab a soccer ball and head to the park. Play Simon Says. Play Duck Duck Goose, do a race, see who can jump the farthest or the highest, have a dance-off with your favourite music of pop in the Wii and go crazy with “Just Dance”!
• Support and encourage each other and try to lead by example. When other family members see you being happy and having fun being fit, they’ll naturally be drawn to it. When they do something active, give them positive reinforcement!

Five tips for packing healthy lunches:

1. On the weekend, plan school lunches with your kids for the week ahead. Try to include three of the four food groups in every lunch.
2. Stock up on healthy grab-and-go foods like fruit, vegetables, whole grain pita pockets, yogurt, and hard-boiled eggs.
3. Use dinner leftovers to make quick and easy lunches the following day.
4. Prep as much of the lunch as you can the night before.  Spend a few extra minutes when preparing dinner to cut up extra veggies and fruit for tomorrow’s lunch.
5. Get the kids involved. Let them plan the menu, write the grocery list, shop for food, and make the lunches… with your help of course! Kids who help make and pack their lunch are more likely to eat it too.

For more tips on healthy lunches click here.

What does your family do that’s active together? How do you make sure you’re eating healthy? Share your tips by commenting below! Thank you.