Are there exercise programs that lend themselves to family activities?
A. We know that attitudes and habits learned at an early age largely determine the pattern a person will follow throughout his or her lifetime. This is an important factor for parents to consider as they establish family patterns relative to physical fitness. Taking children on walks or exercising with them when they are still “babes in arms” can set patterns for physical activity. (The February 1975 Ensign pages 64 to 67 carries an article that explains how one family engages in fitness activities.) The following are some suggestions that have been effective in family fitness programs: 1. Make a commitment based on the fact that physical fitness is important to the family and that it will strengthen the family in many ways. 2. Establish an atmosphere of activity. On gift-giving occasions exchange gifts that will promote activity: Jump ropes, roller skates, ice skates, balls, bicycles, basketball hoops, nets for racquet games, climbing ropes, pull-up bars, and so on. Find an area at a
