No one said getting in shape is a cakewalk, but many readers say you can make great strides if you simply put your mind to it.
"Whether physical activity is fun rests entirely on your attitude," says Kellie Tayer, 49, of Shaker Heights, Ohio. She is walking a lot more this summer and playing more tennis.
"If you think playing tennis in 90-degree heat is fun, then it is."
Tayer and her family have been participating in this year's USA TODAY Family Fitness Challenge, which was designed to encourage families to try some new activities this summer so everyone becomes healthier. The activities were created by five top national health and fitness experts.
Tayer says all four members of her family have "toned up and lost weight" this summer. She knows getting in shape is hard for most people, but once you get over the mental barrier, she says, you're halfway there.
"It is a constant battle to stay motivated, but the way you feel after a workout is such a rush that it brings its own reward mentally as well as physically," she says.
Families have learned other valuable lessons from the Challenge this summer.
Plan ahead
"My advice for other families would be to put one adult or older child in charge of determining a fitness activity for the week or month and have them make all the plans and secure the equipment," says Whitney Glaser, 42, of Sarasota, Fla.
The trick to being active is commitment, she says. "You have to say, 'We're going to get up and get going by this time.' If you wait for people to get up and then say what are we going to do today, by then it will be too hot."
She and her husband, Dave, 44, and daughter, Sarah, 10, made a big effort to be active this summer, even in the intense Florida heat. They gardened and did yard work together and then cooled off by taking a swim, Whitney says. "Normally, Dave would be stuck with that job and I would work inside the house. It was nice to work together as a family," she says.
Build on activities you enjoy
Whitney says they all did more of things they like doing anyway. "Sarah and I have gone walking and played in the yard. Sarah increased her figure skating to four days a week. Dave started going to the gym. I keep up my walking with a friend and my mom."
As a result, they were able to be more physically active on their family vacation to Vancouver and Alaska, where they did a lot of walking, hiking, river rafting and playing basketball, she says.
Get extra motivation
The Jirikowics of Portland, Maine, wore pedometers and had a blast tracking steps, especially Lily, 9, and Nikolai, 6.
The kids had a daily competition to see who could get the highest number, says mom Jacalyn, 31. "Lily likes how jumping rope increases her count. Nikolai likes playing tag and challenging neighborhood friends to foot races."
The family lengthened their morning walks from 1 mile to 2 and started parking the car farther from their destination, she says. "The kids are very active and typically log 15,000 or more steps. Seth averages about 11,500, and I'm closer to 10,500," she says.
Experts recommend adults take at least 10,000 steps daily, which is roughly five miles depending on stride length.
Think outside the box
Kevin, 36, and Rachel Cashin, 35, of Mount Laurel, N.J., started going to a rock climbing gym on Friday nights instead of sitting at home and eating pizza.
The kids thought this activity really rocked. Aidan, 8, and Audrey, 6, "wanted to conquer each rock wall," Rachel says. Abigail, 3, only wanted to go up a few rungs with the help of her siblings.
Rachel got up enough courage to climb halfway up a wall, while Kevin mastered a really high wall with the children cheering him on.
"It was an unusual outing for our family, and we all really enjoyed it," Rachel says. "We could have stayed all night but were there for about 2 1/2 hours."
The cost for the family of five was $50.
The Challenge also inspired them to be more active at their children's birthday parties. The theme of Aidan's eighth birthday party was backyard ballgames. He invited 12 boys, and they played soccer, basketball and wiffle ball, she says.
Audrey had a pool party at their local swim club, and for Abigail's third birthday, they had a yoga party taught by a yoga instructor at a fitness center.
Use the time to reconnect as a family
Walter Parish, 48, of Tucson says his family, which includes his wife and two daughters, really reconnected as a family by doing fitness activities together.
"Something we uncovered associated with this whole experience was how you don't really need to have other people with you all the time," he says. "It's fun to do stuff as a family, and the kids don't have to have a friend along."
Rachel Cashin agrees. "The Challenge allowed us to concentrate on doing things as a family instead of splitting up. I believe my children will remember the things we did as part of the fitness challenge for the rest of their lives."
One change may lead to others
Cashin says her three kids are eating healthier snacks now as a result of the family's push to get in better shape this summer. "My children are constantly hungry, and now, instead of grabbing packaged snacks, we have much better options like fresh fruit, vegetables, yogurt and cheese sticks. I am refilling my fruit bowl daily."
In fact, 8-year-old Aidan has been helping with food preparations, she says. "He was beaming with pride after preparing a salad with us. He was responsible for cutting up the tomatoes with a plastic knife and told me later it was his favorite part of the day."
Whitney Glaser says this extra emphasis on fitness prompted an increased awareness of what they eat. They've been cooking more at home and eating out less, with a focus on healthy meals with veggies and fruit and drinking a lot more water, she says.
Kisa Hoeltke, 33, of Louisville, found the same thing. "We did take a trip away from home in July, and that can be a challenge in and of itself. However, we managed to grab a salad instead of a burger, and water in lieu of a soda on our rest stops, as well as finding time to work out in the hotel gyms," she says.
"I would encourage families wanting to stay fit but finding it difficult to do what I do, which is to PRAY -- Push Relentlessly, Always Yearning -- for the best."
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