Vacation time with the family can provide the perfect opportunity to do some fun activities together—swimming at the beach, hiking or going for a long bike ride. If you’ve taken the Together Counts pledge, consider your plans for the next couple of weeks and see if there’s some time to fit in your family’s favorite activities and some meals together. IDFA is an associate member of the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation and the Together Counts program, and I wanted to share the latest blog post from Lisa Gable, president of the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation. Active, healthy family vacation can be a fun family vacation By Lisa Gable This is the time of year to get away with our families on a vacation. It’s also a great opportunity to get the family working together to promote good health and counter obesity. And, by the way, it’s also a great opportunity for families to earn team points in the Together Counts™ program, the national campaign encouraging families to eat meals together and engage in physical activities together. Healthy living should always be an important element of family life. Families that pursue this goal together are happier and healthier. That’s why the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation is conducting the Together Counts campaign (www.togethercounts.com.) Family vacations are a natural time to pursue these goals. A family trip can be one of the most memorable experiences a family shares, as well as provide an opportunity to pursue healthy living in a new and interesting way. In fact, this time as a family is a great opportunity to build your points on the Together Counts dashboard. You earn points by keeping your pledges, and use them to measure your progress and compare it with others. Consider the family vacation possibilities. Does a family vacation during the summer always have to be on the beach? It can be a lot of fun, but there are a lot of other ways that families can spend their time together, such as walking a downtown area filled with historical sites and museums, hiking a nature trail or mountain, cycling, canoeing, kayaking or even white-water rafting. Even if you’re spending time at the beach, you can make sure your family takes the opportunity to fit in some healthy physical activity. Walking, swimming and beach volleyball are always great exercise. Vacations are a great way for families to get away – but not from each other. In fact, it’s one of the best ways for families to bond, try new foods and for parents to find opportunities to get their kids and themselves to embrace a healthy style of living. # # # The Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation is a first-of-its-kind coalition that brings together more than 170 retailers, food and beverage manufacturers, sporting goods and insurance companies, restaurants, professional sports associations, trade associations, non-governmental organizations and the U.S. Army. The Foundation focuses on activities in the schools, the workplace and the marketplace to promote healthy weight among Americans by balancing the energy they consume with the energy they expend through physical activity.