Make fitness a family affair

"Children need two to three hours of exercise a day, one of which should be high intensity," says Mike Antoniades, the founder and performance director of The Running School (runningschool.co.uk).

He adds: "The environment kids grow up in is more important than their genes. The saying goes, if you want to be a good athlete you need to pick your parents. An early introduction to exercise at around two to three years old is key to their development in taking up fitness and sport and maintaining good health at a later stage."

So lead by example and show your children or grandchildren that exercise is for every age, for life and for fun. It will boost your own activity levels too. On your marks, get set...

AT HOME

Easy: "Exer-gaming"

Exercising with a games console will coax sedentary children into an activity they would otherwise do sitting down. One of the most popular consoles is Nintendo's Wii Fit (from £184, amazon.co.uk), although Sony's PlayStation also has many exercise-based games.

Try it: Don King Boxing and EA Sports Grand Slam Tennis replicate the movements and strategies of those sports. For younger couch potatoes, Wii Sports Resort or Mario Power Tennis retain the fantasy element.

Moderate: Gardening

A Royal Horticultural Society report found children who grow their own vegetables have a better understanding of food and nutrition and eat more fresh produce. Depending on your weight, you can burn anything up to 250 calories from activities such as weeding, planting or raking.

Try it: Let children plan and plant their own part of the garden. No outdoor space? To find a local plot to tend visit allotment.org.uk

Challenging: Circuits

"Choose exercises that aren't massively competitive but have an element of skill," says trainer Dan Roberts (danrobertstraining.com). Half an hour of jumping around with them can burn up to 250 calories.

For those children put off by school team sports, Mike Antoniades says: "By doing activities that focus on gross motor skills (walking, running, jumping) from an early age, their introduction to exercise won't have that element of competition."

Try it: Mark out stations on the grass, allocate a move such as star jumps, hand stands or fast jogging on the spot to each one. Perform 10 reps of each exercise before you run to the next base. Use a ball, a skipping rope, whatever you have to hand. "Keep changing the exercises," says Dan. "Children aren't shy about showing they're bored."

ON A DAY OUT

Easy: Walking

An easy, five-mile ramble can burn almost 400 calories as well as lower cholesterol, increase lung capacity and alter mood.

Danish research found that children who walk or cycle to school concentrate better than those who are driven. Walking with them allows you to spend more time with your children while clocking up 30 minutes of daily activity.

Try it: Visit ramblers.org.uk where Britain's walking charity, The Ramblers, has information about walking festivals, challenges and weekends all around the country.

Moderate: Swinging

Swing through the forest on zip wires, cross wooden walkways and bridges, climb tree-top ladders and fly through the air while you are safely attached to a harness.

This is serious fun that uses long-forgotten muscles and movement skills. A couple of hours of monkey business will burn 510 calories for your average mum and 660 for dad.

Try it: Go Ape! Tree Top Adventure has 28 outdoor sites and can accommodate children as young as four. For details, visit goape.co.uk

Challenging: Canoeing

Parents and children will learn to feel comfortable in the open water and there is something for all skills and fear factors, from a light canoe paddle right through to kayaking and white water rafting.

Try it: Go Canoeing (gocanoeing.org.uk) runs family starter classes. While your children gain newfound skills and confidence, you are burning up to 500 calories an hour. For details on the 400 canoeing centres in England, visit canoe-england.org.uk

AT THE PARK

Easy: Cycling

Children love cycling and there is now a variety of initiatives, such as goskyride.com, to encourage families to take it up.

However, increasing your exercise levels is only the half of it. Road sense, co-ordination and independence will boost children's confidence enormously. A gentle 5mph spin for 30 minutes can shift up to 155 calories.

Try it: The Sustrans charity website (sustrans.org.uk) includes a list of "easy rides" on the National Cycle Network, from country lanes to adventurous forest trails.

Moderate: Team games

Play your favourite childhood games (rounders, Frisbee, French cricket) with your children and burn around 300 calories per game.

"Taking part in group sports teaches kids a responsibility to their team-mates, problem-solving skills and patience," says PE teacher and sports coach Owen Doyle. "Something you don't get from playing Grand Theft Auto."

Try it: Alfresia Team Outdoor Garden Games Kit - Not Just Cricket, £34.98 plus p&p (alfresia.co.uk) contains a football, a pump and cricket and badminton sets.

Challenging: Tennis

This burns as many calories as going for a run, while improving hand-eye co-ordination and flexibility. "The psychological and physical benefits of tennis for kids are huge, especially if they start young," says Owen.

Try it: There are nearly 3,000 free public tennis courts in the UK (tennisforfree.com) and some run free introductory coaching courses for all ages. David Lloyd runs junior coaching programmes (davidlloyd.co.uk) while the Lawn Tennis Association's All Play site (lta.org.uk/allplaytennis) is a one-stop shop for everything from coaching and kit to clubs.

AT THE LEISURE CENTRE

Easy: Soft play

These safe, padded indoor adventure playgrounds are guaranteed to get pre-schoolers moving. Think ball pools, tunnels, ladders and slides. The benefits include improved balance, co-ordination, social skills and confidence.

Try it: Everyone Active centres (everyoneactive.com) have soft play and crèche facilities as well as classes such as Active Antz with music, soft play, inflatables with full parental involvement, Mini Ballet and Mini Dribblers sessions.

Virgin Active offers action-packed Club-V and Active Academy classes for kids (virginactive.co.uk). Adding children to your membership costs between £5 and £17 a month, depending on age and area.

Moderate: Swimming

"Swimming lessons are a great way to build kids' confidence in the water as they pick up skills so quickly," says swim coach Dawn Tuckwell. "But adults too will be amazed at the difference even just a couple of lessons can make to their technique, breathing and overall enjoyment of swimming."

Try it: All pools have family time when lane markers are removed and children given priority. Go to swimming.org/poolfinder. If you're looking for a particular sport, spogo.co.uk is a directory to find your nearest venue.

Challenging: Family gym and studio sessions

Everyone Active has introduced state-of-the-art youth gyms for eight to 15-year-olds. "At Westminster Lodge in St Albans there are specially designed resistance machines," says Chris. "Plus exciting kit such as dance mats, light-up walls and Trixter bikes. All youth gyms are manned by CRB-checked, fully qualified instructors, trained in adapting gym sessions for adolescents."

Try it: Ask what sessions and classes your gym can offer for older children as both Everyone Active and Virgin Active have programmes. Many run classes such as family cycling, Zumba, circuits and street dance, as well as offering teen-time in the gym.

The full version of this article is in the summer issue of Healthy Food Guide magazine, on sale now