Fun and Fitness: What are you doing on February 18?
With all the other articles about
Valentine's Day in this week's
issue, I'm not going to talk specifically
about this "holiday," but
rather, all holidays.
You've got to love holidays. It seems like nowadays, the young school kiddies get a PD Day every month! Luckily for the rest of us, we've also had an addition to our holiday schedule in the form of "Family Day," which has been around for a few years now. Although it's a holiday that is still in its infancy, it'd be interesting to see research on what sorts of activities Canadian families actually partake in on this special Monday. Do they plan daily skiing extravaganzas? Do they organize special family dinners with grandparents and such? Or do most families do what I suspect — mope around the house in their PJs avoiding a chilly February day? Why not take it upon yourself as the young enthusiastic kid of the family to encourage everyone to do something active?
Get Dad out with your little brother and sister — heck, get your Mom out to and have a game of road hockey! If the old man is making excuses, and your mom says she doesn't have an athletic bone in her body, then improvise! Get your butt in the attic and round up the old toboggans and hit the slopes with the entire crew. Enjoying the ride of a slope is something anyone can accomplish, and best of all, it's fun! The best part is many of these entertaining activities that we forget about are inexpensive. Most of us already have plenty of equipment or have access to friends or family who can lend it. No one has to stress about having to dig deep in their pockets for a good time.
If you're really feeling gung ho, offer to get your mom or dad a day pass at your fitness centre. It might not be their cup of tea when all is said in done, but I bet you'll all share a few laughs about hitting the gym together. They could possibly enjoy the experience and decide they want to continue attending which will ultimately improve their quality of life. So take a moment and ask yourself, what do your family and you have planned for February 18? Come to think of it, my skiing idea sounds pretty good right about now — I think I'll convince my family to make a long weekend out of it!
You've got to love holidays. It seems like nowadays, the young school kiddies get a PD Day every month! Luckily for the rest of us, we've also had an addition to our holiday schedule in the form of "Family Day," which has been around for a few years now. Although it's a holiday that is still in its infancy, it'd be interesting to see research on what sorts of activities Canadian families actually partake in on this special Monday. Do they plan daily skiing extravaganzas? Do they organize special family dinners with grandparents and such? Or do most families do what I suspect — mope around the house in their PJs avoiding a chilly February day? Why not take it upon yourself as the young enthusiastic kid of the family to encourage everyone to do something active?
Get Dad out with your little brother and sister — heck, get your Mom out to and have a game of road hockey! If the old man is making excuses, and your mom says she doesn't have an athletic bone in her body, then improvise! Get your butt in the attic and round up the old toboggans and hit the slopes with the entire crew. Enjoying the ride of a slope is something anyone can accomplish, and best of all, it's fun! The best part is many of these entertaining activities that we forget about are inexpensive. Most of us already have plenty of equipment or have access to friends or family who can lend it. No one has to stress about having to dig deep in their pockets for a good time.
If you're really feeling gung ho, offer to get your mom or dad a day pass at your fitness centre. It might not be their cup of tea when all is said in done, but I bet you'll all share a few laughs about hitting the gym together. They could possibly enjoy the experience and decide they want to continue attending which will ultimately improve their quality of life. So take a moment and ask yourself, what do your family and you have planned for February 18? Come to think of it, my skiing idea sounds pretty good right about now — I think I'll convince my family to make a long weekend out of it!
