Physical Fitness Strategies for Online High School Students

Now that summer days are waving their farewells, gone are the halcyon days at the beach or the pool. However, that does not mean that online high school students should say goodbye to outdoor activities that promote physical fitness. Even with the cooler autumn days, parents can still include plenty of physical fitness activities in the online high school program. These activities can also be transformed into fun-filled bonding moments with the family.

Here are some activities for you and your virtual high school student:

• Go on a foliage hunting nature trip. And make sure to add plenty of physically challenging activities such as hiking or biking. Even as you revel in the beautiful reds, oranges and yellows that autumn foliage has to offer, you get to flex your muscles. While you can, you should also take a nature trip where you can try kayaking and camping. You can also take this time to enjoy the beach, where you can take advantage of off-season rates.
• Turn fall outdoor activities into fitness adventures. There are a lot of fall-oriented activities that actually provide ways or your family to run and move around. Some ideas include pumpkin or apple-picking activities, leaf-raking and Halloween treat or treating. You can also go outdoors for a game of touch football.
• Join fun runs and events within the community. Now that days are cooler, there will be a number of fun runs that aim to promote a cause or raise funds for certain charities. This enables you to join a community activity and get a healthy dose of socialization while getting fit and contributing to a worthwhile cause. Now, that’s hitting three birds in one stone! The good thing about fun runs is that the number of kilometers is scaled based on a person’s activities so you can find shorter events for your younger ones, as well as more challenging runs for your virtual high school student.
• Join community or civic-organization-sponsored leagues. Aside from baseball and basketball leagues, some organizations in your community (such as the church, the Rotary club and so on) may be hosting weekly football or soccer games. This is also a great way for your child to build relationships not just with peers but with a wider spectrum of individuals.
• Add the fall colors in your dishes. Eat your favorite fall color. Feast on the rich reds and oranges in carrots, pumpkin or carrots. Delight in the yellows provided by sweet potatoes and corn. Enjoy the crunchy greens of broccoli, beans and sprouts.
• Join physically challenging classes. You can enroll your child in local programs such as Tae Kwon Do, ballet, music and movement or karate classes.
• Create an obstacle course and fitness competition. Organize your family into teams that vie for a fitness prize. You can host simple games weekly. For instance, you can turn your backyard into an obstacle course where family members can take their turns running through the course to get their best times. The obstacle course can make use of simple materials such as old wheels, (strips of wood where contestants can try crossing without losing their balance) or garden implements such as wheelbarrows. Give everyone plenty of opportunity to practice. You can also have contests where members can try to have the longest times in the hula hoop or get the most sit-ups completed in a certain time frame.
• Have a dance night. You can try involving everyone in a Zumba session. You can also pop your favorite music (hip-hop, salsa, rock music) and have a dance night once every week. Invite other loved ones over so that there will be more eager contestants for your dance showdowns.

As your child’s learning coach, be reminded that you should also show a good example to your family by working towards getting physically fit yourself. Committing towards the goal of keeping your family physically fit can also translate to successful learning. As students become more physically healthy, they tend to be able to focus and concentrate on tasks better. They are also more confident, with more energy to face the challenges of earning a high school diploma online.