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Family Fitness
Build Strong Bodies and Strengthen Relationships
By Charlene Torkelson
Another activity is biking. If you have older kids, an evening or weekend trip to a park or trail can be exciting. Even with younger children, there are bike trailers that allow parents to bike with their young ones in tow. A "hitchhiker" is a great attachment for a bike if you have a novice biker needing a little extra help. The attachment is an actual bicycle that hooks on to the larger bike – like a tandem. They run around $100.
Katie and Scott Thuleen from Golden Valley, Minn., have three children under the age of 13 including a son who is wheelchair bound. For them, fitness activities include bike riding complete with a special bicycle designed for Zack. They even took a bike trip with Scott's 85-year-old father. Talk about an activity for all ages!
If you have a toddler, you've probably discovered most toddler programs require the parent(s) to participate along with their young ones. It allows the toddler to feel more comfortable with the activities as well as gives the instructor time to teach something fun rather than just babysitting screaming and running young children. There are classes available at your local YMCA, health club or community center in general gym activities, gymnastics, dance and swimming.
Maureen Brown of Edina, Minn., began swimming classes at the YMCA when her daughter, Lillian, was 2 years old. They would take a lesson once a week, then would swim several times together during the week for practice. So get in the groove and hop in alongside your child for some extra movement.
