Summer Fun

School is out and the challenge of finding summer activities for the family is here.  My daughter just earned her ‘yellow belt’ in karate, and after several weeks of driving to the gym, I’m ready to be outside.  It’s a good thing that Omaha has 9,560 acres of parks, playgrounds and pools available to us.  Omaha also offers many low-cost recreation options for family entertainment. Most of us are familiar with the Henry Doorly Zoo and CoCo Key Water Resort, but my quest is to expose free family fun available during the summer months.

Parents are the best role models for their children when it comes to leading a healthy lifestyle. By leading an active life, parents inspire children to do the same. So, I went on a quest to find some fun, and free, things for my family to do this summer.  There are a lot of great web sites that provide ideas for active family fun.  omaha.com and livewellnebraska.com offer great ideas such as turning chores into fitness challenges, volunteering to walk dogs at the local animal shelter, and assigning a family member to be an activity director just to name a few.

Be sure to check out the Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau for more great ideas. The downtown Omaha Visitors Center, located near the Old Market, provides bicycle rentals for adults and children.  Beginning May 29^th, “Yoga Rocks the Park” will take place at Midtown Crossing’s Turner Park on Sundays at 4p.m. The event will include live music and top notch yoga instruction from local and nationally-recognized teachers.  Camp Yoga Rocks, held only feet away, is for the little ones; and the best part…it’s all FREE!  But this is only one of the many options we have to keep our families active for the summer.

Whatever you choose make sure it is fun, interesting, active, and free! Enjoy this great city we live in and have a great summer!

Johnel Reber, NSCA-CPT

Fitness Specialist/Personal Trainer

Alegent Health Lakeside Wellness Center