Make Family Fitness One of Your Holiday Traditions
by Jon Lugbill
This time of year we all look forward to our family holiday traditions. I know we like to bake my mom’s Christmas cookie recipe with the tree, bell and candy cane cookie cutters. Decorating our house is part of the season. Of course, going to see the Tacky Lights continues to be a favorite activity. Certainly, with all of the parties and socializing, there tends to be plenty of food and drink. But, I started to wonder how people included fitness in their holiday traditions.
I had a meeting with Heather Barrar, a planner at Chesterfield County, and she mentioned how she is going to Belle Isle State Park to participate in First Day Hikes. This is a national program that encourages people to get active by taking advantage of their state parks on New Years Day. In Virginia, there is a walk planned in each state park, including our very own Pocahontas State Park.
There were a few of us gathered at Amy Waters’ desk at Sports Backers’ offices discussing family fitness traditions this week, and she said that her family always walks over to a playground at Bon Air Presbyterian Church on Christmas Day. Apparently the kids come out in droves to play with their new scooters, bikes and toys. The exuberance is contagious, and the adults share in the fun as well.
Faith Hecht, our youth programs manager, doesn’t have a set tradition, but she always goes on a hike. She said her family’s two favorites are Old Rag Mountain and Crabtree Falls. Molly Wright, my collaborator on these blogs, chimed in that she always spends Christmas at her mom’s house in Waynesboro. She says the day after Christmas always includes a hike in Shenandoah National Park.
Our dog Sally makes fitness a fun tradition during the holidays, or any day. How can you say no to a hike when you see this face?
Jacki Quinlan, our outreach manager, is planning on running the First Day 5k with her daughter Kassidy on New Years Day. They did the Midlothian event together last year with Kassidy running the kids race and Jacki doing the 5k.
I know our family has always liked to include our dogs on our family walks over the holidays. When our girls were young we always went to Powhite Park and walked a few miles. The girls loved the one trail that went up and down and around a dry creek bed. This is as close to a roller coaster feeling you can get while running. This year we took our puppy Sally to Forest Hill Park. She was so happy zooming along the trails that it put smiles on our faces the entire time.
This holiday season, I hope you enjoy your own family fitness tradition, and, if your family doesn’t have one already, maybe this is the year to start. I don’t know about you, but I could definitely benefit from a little more playground time.