Enjoying an Active Summer without Spending Lots of Money
Summer is officially here. It has felt like a long and wet spring so it’s super refreshing to know that we’ve got a few months of warmth, sun, and heat to look forward to. Of course, summer also means the end of the school year, vacation plans, long lazy days, and the potential for boredom.
Summer is officially here. It has felt like a long and wet spring so it’s super refreshing to know that we’ve got a few months of warmth, sun, and heat to look forward to. Of course, summer also means the end of the school year, vacation plans, long lazy days, and the potential for boredom.
While day camps and multi-week-long family vacations are lots of fun, let’s be honest, this can get rather expensive and you still might not be able to prevent your kids from saying “I’m bored.” Yes, we know what you’re dealing with right now and we decided to come together and talk about some our favorite ways to stay active, keep the entire family happy, and not break the bank this summer.
As always, we do want to remind you that to make the most out of your summer, you do need to be healthy and well. So many people mistakenly believe that with warm weather comes a lower risk of colds, flus, and infections. This is not the case, since we know that colds, flus, and infections are not caused by cold weather. In fact, many bacteria and viruses thrive in hot humid conditions, increasing the chances of you or a family member becoming sick. This is why we want you to Keep taking your AHCC. It has kept you healthy and feeling great year around, so keep up with it and continue to reap the rewards of a strong and robust immune system. After all, it’s the summer – you don’t want to be trapped indoors on the couch watching Netflix or Hulu all day. Keep your immune system at 100% so your summer can be maximized to 100%!
Let’s All Get Outside this Summer
Alright, let’s get you and your family ready for the best summer ever.
- Create an outside box. This is quite literally a box (or bag) that you leave in your front entranceway for easy access. Inside this activity box could be things like sidewalk chalk, water balloons, a Frisbee, spare change for the ice cream truck, badminton rackets, a skipping rope, new books, etc. You could change up the items in the box every week or so to keep it fun for your family. You might even want to stick some surprise vouchers inside, for example: a voucher to the local amusement park or a day trip to the museum.
- Go green. We take for granted the green spaces in our communities. This is the summer to use your community green spaces as much as possible. Create a homemade picnic basket and depending on the age of your kids, put them in charge of planning a picnic lunch and afternoon. (Hint: you can grab a few items from your outside box to take with you to the park and picnic.) Find out if your community has hiking group or a wild bird care center – this is a great way to easily and affordably explore your community and be outside. Your kids will get a real kick out of feeding the birds and seeing how many chipmunks they can attract.
- Get out for an evening bicycle ride. So often it’s the summer nights that seem especially long and hard to plan for. How about after supper one evening a week you schedule a family bike ride? You can plan a route that keeps you on quiet streets or on bicycle paths. Bring some water and get the entire family out for a casual bike ride. You might want to detour to a nearby playground or waterpark for some extra activity.
- Look for new community events. More and more community groups are realizing that people want to be outside during the summer but are often at a loss for what to do. Do a Google search or visit the website for your local community to find out what is going on. For a few of us at AHCC, various local community groups are hosting summer movie nights – showing family-friendly favorites for free in local parks. Bring a blanket and some treats, and sit back and enjoy a movie with your neighbors. Another new and popular summer event are food truck festivals – this can be a real treat for the entire family and gives the head cook a night off! (Hint: we find Facebook is a great way to stay up-to-date with what is happening in our communities.)
What are Your Summer Plans?
We want to hear from you! Share with us on Facebook how you plan to keep yourself and your family active and happy this summer. We’re always looking for new ideas and we’re sure that you’ve got some great suggestions. Above all else, the key to a good summer is simply being outside enjoying the fresh air.
Another favorite is sitting out for a long afternoon with a new book or catching up with the magazines and newspapers that seem to accumulate over the week.
Pour yourself a big glass of iced tea, sit out in the backyard with your reading material, give the kids a new soccer ball or a few dollars to spend at the ice cream truck and proceed to enjoy a very relaxing afternoon.
Don’t forget, a healthy summer is an active summer. Eat well. Stay hydrated. Protect yourself from the sun. Take your natural supplements. Move your body. Here’s to the best summer ever!
