They drag in from a long day at school, drop their backpacks at the front door, and head for the kitchen. A few minutes later, they emerge with cookies and sodas. Slowly, they saunter into the living room, munching as they go. Then, with one swift click of the remote control, the television comes on and your children are officially in “The Spud Zone.”

The United States is full of couch potato kids who are growing up to be physically inactive adults with health problems and weight issues. In fact, recent statistics show that obesity among children and adolescents has tripled over the past three decades.

So, how can we fight this vicious couch potato cycle? Well, there are ways to encourage those spuds of yours to get up and get moving.

Make Fitness Fun

Yes, fitness can be fun. Lifelong activities such as cycling, swimming, running and walking are great motivators for getting your children off the couch and into action. These activities promote physical fitness in a non-threatening way. Plus, you can bike, swim, run and walk as a family.

Why not make a day of it?

Bike to a park several miles away and enjoy a healthy picnic lunch together. You’ll not only encourage exercise, but you’ll also make great family memories. Try to work in at least one family fitness time each week. Before you know it, your kids will look forward to that time, and so will you.

Here are five more family fitness suggestions to turn your couch potatoes into spuds in action:

1. Hip Hiking: Take a hike in a nearby National Park or woodland area. Increase the fun factor by making it a scavenger hunt hike. List 10 things for your children to find on the hike: an oak leaf, an acorn, a bird’s feather, a dandelion, etc. Allow the winner (the one who finds the most items) to choose next week’s family fitness activity. Then, reward the whole family with some frozen yogurt on the way home.
2. Wacky Water Workouts: If you have access to a pool, plan a day of water fun. You can get great exercise having “water relay races” and “biggest splash contests.” In between the fun contests, have your kids do some aerobic moves underwater-knee raises, arm circles, sidekicks, etc. The natural resistance of the water guarantees a great workout. Finish your workout time with a kick-board bonanza. See who can do the most laps. Teach the children different kinds of kicks. Sing silly songs while logging laps. Have fun!
3. Take a Cool Class Together! Have you always wanted to learn tae kwon do? Maybe you’ve always wanted to take a dance class? Well, find an exercise class that the entire family would enjoy and enroll in it. Local YMCAs are great family fitness centers, offering a wide variety of affordable exercise classes for all skills and ages.
4. Play at the Park! Running to catch a Frisbee can be great exercise, and so can playing tag. Shoot some hoops. Join in a game of hopscotch. Jump rope together. Toss a football back and forth. Just get moving and work up a sweat while enjoying the great outdoors.
5. Way Fun Walking! Find ways to make walking fun. For instance, if you have a very young daughter, encourage her to push her dolls in a stroller as you walk together. Got dogs? Have your children walk Fido around the block. Let’s face it-animals make everything more entertaining.

Lead By Example

Throughout the week, when time is more crunched, encourage your kids to jump rope with you a few minutes each day. Turn on some “cool kid-friendly” music and do some aerobic dance moves together. This works especially well with little girls. If you have boys, do some sports moves-kicks, punches and lunges-to music.

Remember: your actions speak much more loudly than your words, so let your kids see you having fun with exercise. As they become more open and attracted to fitness, they’ll spend less time on the couch and more time being active. And, most importantly, they will develop exercise habits that will stick with them for a lifetime. So, get moving! Fun family fitness time awaits.