Outdoor Family Games for Exercise

Be Healthy and Happy with Outdoor Family Games
by Craig Mecham

According to the experts there are two things which are a problem in our society. First is that we’re not getting enough exercise. We spend too much time sitting around. We sit on the couch, we sit in front of the TV, we sit in the car, we sit behind our desks. We just do too much sitting. Of course sometimes we just have to sit, but we need to do less of it. Maybe we wouldn’t all be so fat if we moved around a little more.

Back in the good old days, Americans got much more exercise. Not so today. We need to do more walking, running, jogging or even just moving around–take the stairs instead of the elevator–you know the drill. One recent report from the American Cancer Society says that lack of exercise is just as dangerous to our health as smoking! That’s a surprise! Plus, they tell us that people who don’t exercise are two times as likely to have heart disease as people who are exercising even a moderate amount.

Years ago when John F. Kennedy was president, there was a craze that swept the nation resulting in large numbers of people walking or jogging. Some tried to see how far they could go in a day. Some went 20, 25 or even 30 miles in a day. Even four decades ago people were worried that we sat around too much. Today, no one is asking Americans to walk 30 miles. Just play an outdoor family game together.

The experts say that just a small amount of exercise is still helpful for our bodies. Many people are taking advantage of outdoor family games to add some exercise to their routines. The popularity of backyard games has increased dramatically over the past year or two. There are many different types from which to choose and they’re an inexpensive way to have fun while exercising.

A current favorite game is BlongoBall. It’s fun for everyone to play, it’s easy to set up and play-and it’s even easy to be a winner! No special skills required to thoroughly crush your competition.

BlongoBall uses a bolo made from two golf balls joined by a length of rope. The bolo is tossed so as to wrap around one of the horizontal rungs of a “ladder” type goal. When the bolo wraps around a rung and stays, you score! It’s fun and easy to play.

There are many BlongoBall imitators in the “toss it, wrap it, score” game category. BlongoBall is the original and our favorite. We’ve tested most all of these types of games and our preference is for BlongoBall because it is the only one we think is built to last. Some of the cheap imitations broke almost immediately, so be careful when buying a game if this type.

The next thing the experts are saying is the we’re not spending much time together as families. Spending more time with your family may not exactly help you stay in shape unless you’re chasing each other around the house, but spending time together is an essential part of developing a healthy family atmosphere. Pshychology and parenting authorities encourage families to be together for more than just accomplishing the household chores. Families need to have fun together.

This is where outdoor family games are handy things to have around. Most families will respond quickly and easily to a game as easy and fun as BlongoBall. Even teenagers who might normally be less interested in participating in a family activity will usually perk up when the BlongoBall game is set up.

When you’re playing BlongoBall it’s easy to converse and interact with other players. This is one of the other reasons we like it. It doesn’t require such focus and concentration that conversation must come to a stop, yet it’s still challenging enough to capture the interest of everyone in the family. It makes family time truly a together time. All the kids, even the very young grade schoolers can play. Plus, you can purchase additional soft rubber ball sets to use indoors in the winter. BlongoBall is a favorite year round game in many families.

Outdoor family games are great for keeping your body and your family in shape! Listen to the experts and get out there and play with your family.

Craig Mecham is a marketing consultant during the work day and a father of six in real life. His family is an ideal testing ground for outdoor family games. Nothing is allowed to interfere with their BlongoBall tournaments! Get your own completely unique content version of this article.