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Play a Family Game Outdoors for Health and Happiness

October 28th, 2009 by Craig Mecham

If you listen to the experts you learn two things. First, lack of exercise is a problem in our society. We spend too much time sitting in front of the TV, behind our desks, in the car, on the couch, or even at a restaurant. Even though sitting is not a completely bad thing, the problem is we just plain do too much of it. That’s why we’re all getting fat.

Back in the good old days, Americans got much more exercise. Not so today. We need to do more walking, running, jogging or even just moving around–take the stairs instead of the elevator–you know the drill. One recent report from the American Cancer Society says that lack of exercise is just as dangerous to our health as smoking! That’s a surprise! Plus, they tell us that people who don’t exercise are two times as likely to have heart disease as people who are exercising even a moderate amount.

Even back when John F. Kennedy was president, the country recognized that Americans weren’t getting enough exercise. A fad that captivated the nation was walking. Not just walking around the neighborhood, but walking 20, 25 or even 30 miles in a single day. It was such a big deal that there were newspaper articles and news stories about how far people walked in a day. No one is expecting you to walk 30 miles today, but it would be great if we just got outside to play a family game together.

The experts say that just a small amount of exercise is still helpful for our bodies. Many people are taking advantage of outdoor family games to add some exercise to their routines. The popularity of backyard games has increased dramatically over the past year or two. There are many different types from which to choose and they’re an inexpensive way to have fun while exercising.

BlongoBall is one game that is becoming increasingly popular all across the nation. It’s easy to set up and fun to play. You don’t need any particular athletic ability so it’s suitable for all ages from grade schoolers to Grandpa and Grandma.

The game is played by tossing a bolo constructed from two golf balls connected with a length of rope. The bolo is tossed at the horizontal rungs of a “ladder” type goal. Scoring is accomplished when the bolo wraps around one of the horizontal rungs. It’s easy to learn and fun to play.

BlongoBall is the original in the “toss it, wrap it, score” game category. Other imitators did not impress us. In our testing we found that BlongoBall seemed like the only one built to withstand normal use. Some of the lesser quality brands broke within minutes of being out of the box, so BlongoBall is our preferred choice. Be wise when buying a game in this category and you’ll get one that your family will enjoy for years.

The second thing the experts are telling us is that we don’t spend enough time together as families. Of course this is probably not going to make you lose weight, unless being with your family puts you off your dinner. But an essential part of healthy psychology and parenting is to spend time together not just working and handling the chores involved with running a family, but doing fun things.

This is a natural place for outdoor family games to fit into the routine. Most families will have a great time with a game that’s as easy and fun to play as BlongoBall. Even temperamental teenagers can easily become interested in game that’s a little challenging but not demanding a tremendous amount of skill.

When you’re playing BlongoBall it’s easy to converse and interact with other players. This is one of the other reasons we like it. It doesn’t require such focus and concentration that conversation must come to a stop, yet it’s still challenging enough to capture the interest of everyone in the family. It makes family time truly a together time. All the kids, even the very young grade schoolers can play. Plus, you can purchase additional soft rubber ball sets to use indoors in the winter. BlongoBall is a favorite year round game in many families.

All in all, outdoor family games are a great idea not only for staying in shape physically, but for keeping your family in shape and emotionally healthy.

Craig Mecham runs a consulting firm during the work day and a father of six in real life. The Mecham family is an ideal testing ground for outdoor family games. Nothing is allowed to interfere with their BlongoBall tournaments!

categories: games,outdoor games,backyard games,family games,sports,toys,games,sporting goods,exercise,fitness,health




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Posted by Craig Mecham in Gaming |
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