Summer Fun: Badminton

Badminton

Taken from- Family Games. The Best in Family Game Night, Amazon 2013

Equipment Needed: Badminton set

I always thought badminton was a sissy sport until I saw it professionally played in Montreal. It is a sport that requires power, finesse speed and strategy

You can set up a badminton net and a simple court or playing area in your backyard. The net should measure 5 feet high and the court should measure 40 feet long by 22 feet wide for doubles and 17 feet wide for singles. If you’re playing backyard badminton recreationally rather than competitively, you don’t need a court that fits all the standard badminton court specifications. You can play on any rectangular surface divided in half by a net. To pick the team that goes first, you should toss a coin. The winner can choose whether to serve or receive first, or choose which side of the court to play on first. The player who lost the toss gets to make the other choice. Stand in the right service court when you have no points or an even number of points. The right service box lies behind the short service line and to the right of the center service line. Stand in the left service court when you have an odd number of points. The left service box lies behind the short service line and to the left of the center service line. Serve the shuttlecock cross-court to the service court diagonally opposite. Hit the shuttlecock below your waist to serve. Players hit the shuttlecock back and forth over the net to keep it in play. You must hit the shuttlecock before it touches the ground. If you hit the shuttlecock out of bounds, into the net or under the net, you lose the point. You cannot touch the net or net posts with any part of your body. You cannot reach over the net to hit the shuttlecock. You can win points on your own serve and on your opponent’s serve. Play until one player or team wins 21 points to win the game. If two sides tie at 29-all, the side that wins the next point wins the game. Change sides after the end of the first and second games. In the third game, change sides when one player or team wins 11 points. Serve first in the next game if you won the previous game. Play until one player or team wins two games.

Kids + Water Exercise = Fun

 

Water is a great environment for kids to stay healthy. Kids will burn up calories, tone muscles, strengthen their cardiovascular system and have so much fun. At Fit American Families we offer our Books 101 Cool Pool Games also in Spanish and we offer our Splash Cards for Kids.

Splash Cards for Kids© can also be used for:

 

Ÿ         Interval Training: Add a cardiovascular activity in between each card.

 

Ÿ         Partner Training: What better way to spend quality time with your kids and exercise at the same time? Choose a group of exercises and enjoy some active play.

 

Ÿ         Personal Training:  In the beginning introduce your child to these exercises/movements one card at a time. Be sure to read the description thoroughly, eventually your child will be able to look at the illustration and know exactly how to perform that particular exercise. Choose 5 exercises per day then add on 5 new exercises the following day.

 

Ÿ         Obstacle Course: Create your own obstacle course by placing a series of cards around your pool. Families must navigate their way through the challenging series of exercises while being timed.

 

Ÿ         Relay Races: If you have more than one child in the pool, you can use the Splash Cards for relay races. Have the children line up at one end of the pool and you are at the opposite end of the pool. Choose one card and have the children perform and travel this movement down to your end of the pool.

 

Ÿ         Flash Cards Free Style: Just like when we learn our multiplication tables, have a supervised adult flash each card and have partner. Combine water and land cards for a challenging workout.

 

Ÿ         Pyramid Style: Start with one card, then add two more, repeat from beginning and add on three more repeat from beginning.

 

Ÿ         Choreograph: Link the moves together to have a choreographed routine. You can even add music to your workout.

 

Ÿ         Birthday Party Games: Create teams or use cards for individual challenges.

 

Ÿ         Family Challenges: Make a goal for each family member, use Splash Cards for the workout challenge and watch each family member achieve their goal.

 

Ÿ         Splash Olympic Games: Take a group of Splash Cards or choose individual ones to create an Olympic Challenge. Award medals for “The Best…”

Splash Cards for Kids ages 6-16

 

 

Splash Cards for Kids©  

The Original Water Exercise Cards for Kids

Exercising in water is magical! Kids will feel weightless in water so they can jump higher and longer. Their muscles will be strengthened in water because water provides constant resistance, think about how you feel when you run in water, it feels like your running in molasses. The harder you push in water the harder the water pushes against you, and range of motion is increased because of the supporting qualities water provides. Great exercise for kids who don’t like to sweat. Besides all of these advantages, water is so much fun, it doesn’t feel like exercise.

 

Splash Cards for Kids©

The Original Water Exercise Cards for Kids

These water fitness cards are recommended for kids 6-16 years old.

• Each set contains 25 challenging water exercises.


• Use them by your pool, on the beach, anywhere there is water.


• 5x7 waterproof cards.


• Colorful background.


• Equipment is optional.


• One side is an illustration of the exercise, the other side is a written description.


• Store in a reusable plastic bag.

 

Item # K110    Splash Cards for Kids©………$ 17.95

Doing More with Less: August 2013

 

DOING MORE WITH LESS!

Overwhelmed, frustrated, over-scheduled? Is it time for a shift in your family life? Don't miss this four week workshop and learn how to receive so much more in life with less.

SIGN UP NOW FOR THIS FREE E-COURSE!

10 Reasons Why Families Should Exercise Together

 

 

What better way to get fit then to get fit as a family!

There are many reasons to exercise as a family unit but here are Fit American Families Top 10 Reasons Why Families Should Exercise Together.

# 10. Build family bonds.

Happy families have strong family bonds. Parents, as the leaders of the family unit, have to be responsible for strengthening and protecting these bonds. It doesn't happen naturally in our hectic day-to-day lives. Exercising together is a lesson in discipline and family allegiance, and it requires leadership and commitment to your family.  Share this family bond with other families, whether this is within your community or your church, being with other families will strengthen your own family bonds.

#9. Create traditions.

Traditions are practices or beliefs that create positive feelings and are repeated at regular intervals. Often traditions are handed down from generation to generation, but every family can create its own traditions as well, how about a Family Game Night but this type of game requires physical activity like Kickball or a game of Pickle.

 

#8. Create memories that your child remember for a lifetime and pass on to their children

Family rituals help define who is in our family and who we are as a family. It allows time for the family to get together, to share experiences with one another, and to reconnect with each other. Knowing that the family will have time together can help us deal with those times when we are apart. Even though parents may work, children can know that each evening, each weekend (or whenever works for your family) they will have some “special time” with you.

#7. Encourage support for each other.

Encouragement requires communication, verbal and non-verbal communication. Embrace in the moments when your child makes a basket or when dad can run around the block. Kids need and want encouragement from you and kids also love to give YOU encouragement!

#6. Laugh together.

The famous saying "families that play together stay together" could also extend to include families that play together have fun together. Exercise is not a chore it is fun if you have the right mindset, every book and exercise I have developed is with fun and laughter, in other words, parents having a fun time together with their family, says more to your children then buying them the latest video game. Play is not just for kids.  You are never too old to participate in wholesome, fun, recreational activities, and doing so has benefits.

#5. Grow together, learn new sport or skills together.

Have fun learning a new skill or sport together as a family it reinforces your strong family bond.  

#4. Exercise more.

Schedule in family time. Look at everyone’s schedule, and make a commitment, put it on the calendar. It’s a great way to get your heart pumping, burn calories and have fun together.

#3. Motivate each other to exercise harder or longer.

When a family member is too tired or stressed out to be physically active, offer support and motivation to encourage them to spend time with you.

#2. You become a role model.

Your children are a direct reflection of you, your attitude's, beliefs and actions. As a parent you serve as one of the strongest role models in your children's life.

#1 Reason to Exercise as a Family is ...

Spend quality time as a family, its a magical time together.

Regular family time is key to building and maintaining family bonds. A recent report stated the average parent spends only 16 minutes each day with one on one individual attention! Parents and children should aim to spend 60 minutes of exercise together each day. When you are exercising together you can share things that are happening in your life, and ask lots of questions about things your children are interested in. Our family teaches us how to function in the world. It should provide love and warmth to all of its members. A strong family gives its members the support they need to make it through life’s toughest spots. Perhaps most importantly, exercising together brings families together. It gives parents and children the opportunity to have meaningful conversations and to really get to know one another. Often, parents find that devoting time to exercising with their kids prompts natural discussions about personal discipline and how it relates to life.

The #1 Excuse for Not Working Out

What's the No. 1 excuse for not working out? Lack of time. Sure, we're all busy handling multiple priorities and rushing around from here and there every day. However, I promise that no matter how busy you are, someone even busier than you are is working out right now. If you look closer, you'll discover that you do have the time to work out—and you deserve to use that time for yourself.

Squeezing in just a few minutes of physical exercise a day has huge benefits on your health, gives you energy and perks up your mood. In fact, a new study published by The Lancet found that if inactive people increased their physical activity by just 15 minutes per day, they could reduce their risk of premature death by 14% and increase their life expectancy by three years. Also, remember that "working out" doesn't have to happen in the gym or last for an hour! Short 10-minute bursts of exercise, accumulated over the course of the day, can add up to big fitness and health gains, too.

Here is what some of the Healthiest Families Know for Sure...
Tip #1 Set aside time for exercise every week, because it never happens if left up to chance.
Tip #2 Even 10-minute increments make a difference
Tip #3 Get your kids and partner into the act makes it that much easier. Combine playtime and exercise. Shoot hoops. Kick around a soccer ball. Go bike riding with your kids or have races to see who can make it across the yard fastest.
Tip #4 Make it part of your routine, you brush your teeth don't you? Are your teeth more important than your heart?
Tip #5 Put on your favorite itunes and dance while you clean the house or make dinner.
Tip #6 Don't go to lunch with a friend go to a walking trail instead. Save money and burn calories...bonus!!!!
Tip #7 Take up sports as a family. Here at Fit American Families we BELIEVE IN THE FAMILY APPROACH!
Tip #8 Getting up a few minutes earlier in the morning can provide you with some quiet time to exercise before the kids wake up.
Tip #9 Give one exercise-related gift at birthdays and the holidays. Checkout our Fit American Products and Books.
Tip # 10 Make date night start with fitness together. Hit the treadmill, go for a long walk or jog, play tennis, go on a bike ride: Do something you can do with your partner that builds in time together with exercise for you both.Now that's romantic.