(NC)-The cornerstone of Thanksgiving hospitality is to serve our loved ones an abundance of food - and that usually leaves everyone with lots of surplus energy to burn.
Instead of letting all of those calories turn into unwanted weight gain, take a look at a few ideas for keeping your family fit throughout the fall. Here's a sampling of several tips available at Ontario.ca/EatRight :
Top 10 Fall Activities
1. Show kids the changing landscapes up-close by taking walks in the woods, fields, or city parks. Plan a family treasure hunt by collecting acorns and pods to make trinkets and craft jewellery.
2. Walk or cycle to visit friends, or take your bicycle on day trips and picnics
3. Visit a "u-pick-it" vegetable and fruit farm to participate in the fall harvest. Some farms also host special events, horse-drawn wagon rides, and picnic spots.
4. Stuff a scarecrow. Use unwanted clothing like an old shirt and overalls and stuff until firm. Complete it with a pumpkin head.
5. Rake leaves by creating a twisting path or maze across your lawn. Challenge your kids to a race from end to end, where there will be another big pile of leaves to jump in.
6. In a neighbourhood park, play "name that leaf". Collect a handful of unusual leaves and try to identify them using a guidebook.
7. Enter your family in a charity run, walk, bike-a-thon or triathlon.
8. Try something new like wall climbing, Tai Chi, yoga, or hip-hop.
9. Map out all the fall fairs in your region of Ontario and visit each one. Take day trips and join in the seasonal activities.
10. Go bowling in the evenings, play miniature golf on weekends, and on a crisp clear night, encourage the family to walk a few neighbourhood blocks together to enjoy the crisp autumn air.
- News Canada