25 Healthy Christmas Activities Your Entire Family Will Enjoy

The Christmas season doesn’t have to involve sitting around, eating too much food, being sedentary, and fearing dreaded holiday weight gain. This season choose healthy Christmas activities that allow you and your family have fun, stay active, and maintain a healthy weight for life.

Planning healthy Christmas activities sets a good example for your kids, so you can pass down healthy habits to them and create lasting holiday memories.

Recruit extended family, friends, and acquaintances to join you to promote healthy lifestyles within your community.

#1 Volunteer

Volunteer activities involve donating your time to help others this Christmas season. Consider volunteering at your local:

• School
• Homeless shelter
• Animal shelter
• Church
• Hospital

Participate in volunteer activities as a family to spend quality time together, and set an example for your children about how giving back to your community helps those in need – and feels good!

#2 Donate Gifts

What better way to help less fortunate people in your community than by donating gifts this Christmas season? Choose a family in need to help financially or provide meals for. Look for organized opportunities to donate presents within your community in malls, churches, hospitals, schools, or online. Make shopping for gift donations a family affair!

#3 Go Christmas Caroling

Christmas caroling is a healthy Christmas activity for numerous reasons. It often brings joy to you and your family, and to others in your community. Caroling around town or through your neighborhood is an excellent way to stay moving and burn some extra calories this holiday season.

#4 Walk Through Christmas Lights

Instead of driving through your neighborhood or other areas in town beautifully lit with Christmas lights, walk through light displays instead!

Doing so is just as enjoyable (maybe even more so) than driving through lights and the extra calories you’ll burn helps avoid unwanted weight gain this holiday season.

For example, a 185-pound person expends almost 200 calories walking at a pace of 3.5 miles per hour for 30 minutes!

#5 Plan Family Bowling Night

Bowling is a healthy Christmas activity the entire family will enjoy and gets you out of the house and moving.

In fact, a 185-pound adult burns about 135 calories in just 30 minutes of bowling!

Divide your family into teams to make bowling a friendly competition, and have Christmas-themed prizes ready for the winning team.

#6 Try Sledding

Sledding is another high calorie burning healthy Christmas activity that creates lasting memories for you and your family.

A 185-pound person expends over 300 calories in just 30 minutes of sledding – which includes climbing sledding hills.

Begin a new holiday tradition this year by finding a sledding hill in your yard, neighborhood, or down the street.

Don’t forget to dress warm!

#7 Go Skiing

Try downhill or cross-country skiing with your family this Christmas season to get everybody moving and avoid dreaded holiday weight gain.

A 185-pound adult burns about 270 calories downhill skiing and 355 calories cross country skiing for 30 minutes.

If you have room in your yard or neighborhood, line a cross-country skiing path with small candles to create a candle-lit night skiing adventure for your family.

#8 Consider a Pool Tournament

Playing pool is an excellent way to get moving vs. sitting on the couch after eating a holiday meal.

Divide your friends and family into teams of two and create a pool tournament bracket.

Each team contributes a few dollars, and the winning pool tournament team wins the pot (or another prize of choice) at the end of the night.

#9 Choose Active Video Games as Gifts

To stay active on Christmas day without leaving home, consider active video games for the kids as a gift. Examples include Xbox 360 Kinect Sports, Wii Sports Resort, and Wii Just Dance Kids.

These and other active video games will get your entire family’s blood pumping while having a blast.

You’ll dance, bowl, golf, play soccer or beach volleyball, run track, or do boxing moves all from the comfort of your living room!

#10 Play Table Tennis

Ping pong or table tennis is an excellent calorie-burning healthy Christmas activity the whole family will enjoy.

Consider a ping-pong table as a Christmas gift for the kids, and create a table tennis tournament to help your family stay moving on Christmas day.

You might even work up a sweat while playing this favorite past time. The memories you’ll create for your children will last a lifetime.

#11 Go Ice Skating

If you live in a cold-weather climate, it’s probably easy to find a frozen lake or outdoor rink to ice skate on with your family as a fun way to stay active this Christmas holiday.

If you’re in a warm-weather climate during Christmas, find an indoor ice-skating rink to keep the holiday spirit alive.

A 185-pound adult burns just over 300 calories in 30 minutes of ice skating!

#12 Play Volleyball

Regardless of where you live, put up a volleyball net in your yard for a fun Christmas activity that gets you and your family out of the house to stay active.

If you live in a cold weather climate, dress warm and wear snow boots for a winter-themed volleyball adventure.

A 185-pound adult expends almost 150 calories (or more) in just 30 minutes playing volleyball.

#13 Go for a Swim

You might not think of Christmas as a time of year for swimming, but indoor swimming is a fun option for you and your kids this holiday season.

Look for a local indoor swimming pool or book a hotel for a night with an indoor pool.

If you have a pool or hot tub in your yard, heat it up for a day to enjoy a toasty outdoor winter Christmas swim. Swimming helps 185-pound adults burn over 250 calories in just 30 minutes.

#14 Make Christmas Cooking a Family Event

Instead of one or two family members preparing a nutritious Christmas meal this year, make healthy cooking a fun family activity.

Choose from a list of the Fit Father Project’s healthy Christmas recipes, and assign one recipe to each family member to get the entire family moving (even the kids) on Christmas day!

Believe it or not, you’ll burn just over 100 extra calories cooking in the kitchen for 30 minutes if you weigh 185 pounds.

#15 Create a Scavenger Hunt

Children of all ages often enjoy the challenge of a scavenger hunt. Create a holiday-themed scavenger hunt indoors, outdoors, or both to get your entire family moving around. The kids will love racing through the house or outdoors looking for clues.

Create your own unique scavenger hunt or give a ready-made Christmas scavenger hunt game to your kids as a gift this holiday season.

#16 Go Golfing

You may not think of golf as a winter hobby, but depending on where you live, outdoor golfing is a fun calorie-burning healthy Christmas activity your family will never forget.

If you live in a cold weather climate, consider an indoor driving range or indoor mini golf instead to keep your family active this Christmas season.

If you weigh 185-ponds, you’ll burn 150 to 250 calories golfing for 30 minutes.

#17 Build a Snow Fort

Building snow forts isn't just a kid activity.

You’ll be surprised at how much fun playing in the snow can be! It’s an excellent way to stay active with kids of all ages and get outdoors this Christmas.

Better yet, build two snow forts to take cover from during a family snowball fight!

#18 Find a Trampoline Park

Trampoline parks aren't just for the kids, and jumping is one of the best calorie-burning exercises you’ll find.

You can work up a sweat in no time jumping around at a trampoline park. Just don’t overdo it and injure yourself!

If there isn't a trampoline park close to you or the park isn't open when you need it, consider mini trampolines as a Christmas gift so you and your family can jump on indoors on Christmas day.

#19 Consider a Dart Tournament

You might not think of throwing darts as an active hobby, but it gets you and your family moving around vs. being sedentary on the couch this Christmas.

Consider planning a dart-throwing family tournament as a healthy Christmas activity you can do from the comfort of home.

If you don’t have a dart board, consider giving one to your wife or kids as a Christmas gift!

#20 Play Basketball

Regardless of the climate you live in, playing outdoor basketball if you have a hoop is one of the best ways to stay in shape and avoid unwanted holiday weight gain.

If it snows, shovel off your outdoor court (which is another high-calorie-burning activity) ahead of time, divide your family into teams and have a blast playing ball. Dress warm if it’s chilly outside!

#21 Go Indoor Rock Climbing

Take your family and relatives on a rock-climbing adventure this holiday season to stay active and enjoy quality time together.

Indoor rock climbing is a healthy Christmas activity just about every child and adult enjoys, and you’ll be surprised at how many calories you can expend doing it.

A 185-pound adult often burns average 400 calories in just 30 minutes rock climbing!

#22 Participate in Outdoor Archery

You might not think about archery as healthy Christmas activity, but it can be! A 185-pound adults burns over 150 calories in 30 minutes of archery. Set up a target on a tree or another area near your home, grab a bow and arrows, and make archery a fun family competition!

#23 Race in Fun Runs

Fun runs and competitive races are everywhere, even during the holidays! Get your entire family involved in a fun run this holiday season. Take jogging strollers if you have little ones so they don’t miss out on the fun.

#24 Put Up Outside Christmas Lights

Paying somebody to put up Christmas lights does save time, but what better way to bond with your family and stay active this Christmas than by putting up outdoor lights yourself?

Doing so is an excellent way for everybody in your family to stay moving, enjoy the fresh air, and get into the holiday spirit!

#25 Shovel Snow

If you live in a cold-weather climate, shoveling is an excellent way to stay active, burn extra calories, and avoid holiday weight gain.

Shoveling burns over 250+ calories in 30 minutes if you weigh 185 pounds!

When you and your family finish shoveling, let the kids jump in the snow piles to burn off extra energy.

Get and Keep Your Family Healthy

The healthy habits of parents are often passed down to their children, which is why setting a good example to your kids is so important. In addition to staying active by moving as much as possible, prepare healthy meals this Christmas season and all year long.

Encourage your family to eat fruits and vegetables at each meal, and fill half of each plate with a variety of vegetables. Prepare salads, cooked vegetables, or raw veggies for each meal. Cook more and eat out less to achieve and maintain a healthy weight for life.

In addition to veggies, choose healthy fats, lean proteins, and whole grains whenever possible. Opt for skinless poultry, fish, seafood, egg whites, legumes, tofu or seitan, nuts, seeds, plant milks, plant oils, avocados, oatmeal, and quinoa or brown rice. Make protein powder and fruit smoothies for breakfast or as between-meal snacks.

Other healthy lifestyle habits include:

1. Exercise at least 30 minutes a day
2. Drink water frequently throughout the day
3. Avoid sugary drinks and sweets
4. Steer clear of fast food and fried foods
5. Sleep at least 7 hours each night (children require additional sleep)
6. Avoid smoking
7. Limit or avoid alcoholic drinks
8. Reduce stress

If you’re not at an ideal weight and need some guidance, try the Fit Father Project 30X (FF30X) weight loss program today! This weight loss plan designed for busy fathers over 40 provides you with:

• Meal plans
• Recipes
• Workouts
• Motivational support
• Free newsletters

To get started, sign up for a free 1-day meal plan or free metabolism-boosting workout (or free muscle-building workout) to begin a journey toward a happier, healthier life! Enjoying life to its fullest means looking your best, feeling your best, and keeping up with your kids. Create lasting holiday memories by incorporating healthy Christmas activities into each holiday season – beginning today!

*Please know that weight loss results & health changes/improvements vary from individual to individual; you may not achieve similar results. Always consult with your doctor before making health decisions. This is not medical advice – just a few ideas for healthy Christmas activities.