Get Outside! Pocket Guide

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RideLet’s

Most of us learn how toride a bike as children.

Some of our happiest early memories will involve a cycling adventure with family or friends.

But when was the last time you rode a bike?

You never forget how to ride a bike so why not get back in the saddle?

Cycling is one of the best ways for families to exercise together. From toddler to grandparent there’s a bike for everyone. With front or rear mounted baby seats, pullalongs, stabilisers, balance bikes, tricycles, cargo bikes, tandems and trailers mean there’s no reason not to cycle.

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If you start to make cycling a part of your everyday life, it can become a part of your children’s life too. Try introducing cycling into your morning routine with the school run for instance? This is a great way to get kids confident cycling on the roads, and gives you an extra incentive to do your own daily journeys on two wheels.

The important thing is to make time to do it. If you make it routine it will become part of your daily life and children are more likely to adopt something if it’s regular. Think about the things you already do togetherand see if one of these – especially inactiveones such as watching television – can be replaced by cycling.

The ultimate benefit of cycling as a family is having fun. Children will find things like weekend rides and cycling to school much more fun than being driven around or sitting in front of the television (no matter what they tell you when you first suggest it!).

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Where to rideWirral is blessed with off-road cycling routesthat make getting around on two wheels safeand family friendly.

Set off from Woodside, and ride - traffic free - along the promenade all the way to Hoylake, or cycle the Wirral Way from West Kirby to Hooton along pleasant traffic free paths with fantastic views to North Wales. Quiet routes include Landican Lane to Storeton, Eastham Country Park, and Arrowe Park, where easy tracks will take you through the woods and out into wide open spaces.

Always make sure you have a helmet and comfortable clothing,plus do a quick check on brakes, lights and seat height to make sure everyone’s travelling happy.

How much you do is up to you and there’s lots more ideas on our ‘cycling in Wirral’ pages on www.wirral.gov.uk, plus check out sustrans.org.uk, the national cycling charity website, which will inspire you to find more quiet lanes and traffic free routes.

Happy Cycling!

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Health Benefitsof cyclingCycling has possibly the broadest appeal of all forms of exercise. From toddler to pensioner, able bodied or disabled, practically everyone can enjoy the health benefits of cycling. Here are just a few:

LOOK YOUNGER: Regular cyclists enjoy the health of someone approximately 10 years younger. Increased circulation delivers oxygen and nutrients to skin cells while flushing harmful toxins out.

REDUCE STRESS: Many cyclists report that regularly taking to the saddle reduces levels of stress and helps relaxation.

HEALTHY HEART: Cycling reduces the likelihood of a heart attack by more than 50%. Cycling just 20 miles a week reduces your risk of heart disease to less than half that of those who don’t exercise.

LOSE WEIGHT: Cycling is ideal for weight loss. A brisk ride can burn around 500 calories per hour, helping to control weight.

LOW IMPACT: Cycling is a low impact exercise - it causes less strain and injuries than other forms of exercise and is kinder on your joints.

INCREASE YOUR BRAIN POWER: Need your grey matter to sparkle? Then get pedalling. Cycling helps build new brain cells and boosts blood flow and oxygen to the brain.

ENJOY HEALTHY FAMILY TIME: Cycling is an activity the whole family can do together. Unsurprisingly, kids are influenced by their parents’ exercise choices. If your kids see you riding regularly, they will consider it a normal activity and want to follow your example.

Tell us your cycling stories facebook.com/ActiveWirral

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MoveLet’s

Any type of physical activity is good for you and needn’t be hard work either. Just getting up and moving about is good for us and the best news is that the more we move, the healthier we get, and the more we can do!

As the weather warms, why not take it outside? With the opportunity to boost your mood and your health, AND save you money on gym fees, the choice to get off the couch becomes just a little easier.

Wirral’s parks offer the perfect mix ofspace, facilities and opportunity tomove outdoors and get active. All ofour parks are free to visit; have miles of attractive pathways, an abundance of fresh air and with twenty two Green Flags between them are among the best green spaces in the country.

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Parks - Make the great outdoors your gymHitting the gym is hard when the weather beckons you to ditch the four walls and stale air of the indoors for the sun and breeze outside. Stop ignoring your instincts! Nature is a perfect buff-body training ground.

There are now twelve outdoor gyms in Wirral, all with a wide range of modern equipment designed to keep residents fit for free!

Each piece ofequipment comeswith its own instructions of how to use it safely and effectively, so even dog walkers could jump on one of the machines for five or 10 minutes of cardio!

Armed with a bit of get-up-and-go and good planning, you can be fitter than ever without spending a penny.

Parks & Countryside outdoor gyms are located in Wirral at: • Arrowe Park - Trail

• Beechwood Estate 3 sites – Gyms

• Birkenhead Park - Trail

• Central Park, Wallasey - Trail

• Duck Pond Lane, Prenton – Gym

• Leasowe Estate, Twickenham Drive - Gym

• Lingham Park, Moreton - Gym

• New Ferry Park - Gym

• Vale Park, New Brighton - Gym

• Victoria Park – Trail

• Woodchurch - Gym

• Yew Tree Green, Moreton – Gym

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@ActiveWirral

We all have a local park with lots of traffic-free space for families to ride, skate run and play, along with bowling greens, tennis courts and super safe, playground equipment like slides, swings, roundabouts and climbing frames. As well as all this, most parks hold many events throughout the year to make even more of their space.

Organised walks, runs and bike rides are regular features of many park calendars and run alongside ranger-led events like pond dipping, bug hunting, den building and other fun activities for kids. Most are free and provide the perfect excuse to get muddy and spend more time outdoors being active. You can find a list of park events at www.wirral.gov.uk/events

Love Parks Week

15th to 24th July -Love Parks Week is Britain’s largest celebration of green open spaces and the perfect opportunity for us all to get out and active.

Tweet us your active park pics @ActiveWirral

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PlayLet’s

We all want the best forour children and to seethem grow up fit, happyand healthy.

This means they should be getting at least an hour of activity every day, but sometimes there just doesn’t seem enough hours in the day to juggle work and family commitments.

One of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to ensure your little ones get the right exercise is to join them playing outside.

Playing is so much more than fun - it’s how we learn, grow stronger and develop friendships…and there’s no better way to stop them getting bored over the holidays!

Make active play a part of your family life and you’ll be helping them to develop a habit for daily exercise that will hopefully stay with them forever.

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Parenting hacksthat will get your kids movingMake it fun Being active doesn’t mean grueling workouts. Make it family time by hiking, take them on an adventure walk, play at the park, have an impromptu game of football or toss a Frisbee around!

Let the kids choose what you’ll doWhen they choose, not only are they going to choose something they want to do but you are sending them the message that the activities they want to try are important to you.

Go old schoolTeach your kids the games we used to play when we were kids.

Get competitive See who can bounce a basketball the longest, who can jump the furthest, who can do a wall squat the longest, or toss a frisbee the furthest. Who can get their kite up in the air first, who can make it across the monkey bars without falling...see how it works?

Activity jarFill the jar with different activitiesand each child chooses one thatyou all do for a minimum of 30minutes.

Turn it off Tuesdays Disconnect from the couch andthe technology and make just oneday a week completely tech free.

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Mum...we’re bored!Ideas to get active with your kids

1. Build a den or tree house with them –you’ll be amazed what an old sheetand some clothes pegs can do!

2. Go roller skating, rollerblading orskateboarding in the park or alongthe promenade. Kids also lovescooters.

3. Go on a Bug Hunt... Make asimple check list (or draw pictures) ofthe creepy crawlers you might normallyfind in your back garden. Make a tallyof the bugs/ creatures you find andtogether, count up your discoveries.

4. Take the dog for a walk. If you don't have one of your own, ask to borrow a neighbour's or friend's – they’ll owe you one!

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5. Wash the car (or bike)…OK, it’ll benefit you more, but kids love getting wet and you’ve got to admit that the water fight that normally follows is a bit of fun!

6. Make time every weekend to do something active with your children. Play frisbee or football in the park, visit your local playground or enjoythe beaches on your doorstep.

7. Fly a kite. www.thekitesociety.org.uk has loads of plans formany kite designs you can download, as well as tips on how to make and fly them.

Tell us your top tips to beat the boredom at facebook.com/ActiveWirral

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BACK

Make your own fun.Games don’t have to be organised - sometimes the best games are ones you invent yourself! Here are a few ideas, and we’re sharing more on our facebook page - visit the page, tell us what your family favourite games are, and share the pictures of your play.

1. Park Bingo - Write a list of things you might expect to see in the park, or you could get creative and make a picture bingo card. Include things like bird, tree, swing, trike, ball, ice cream, skateboard, pond, squirrel, dog, worm. Go for a walk in the park and let the kids tick off the things they find until someone has them all and wins.

2. Coloured Spots - Have some sheets of coloured paper or draw around a bowl and paint some big coloured spots to play with.

Place the spots on the ground far enough away that it’s a good jump from one to the next (weigh them down with a small stone).

Game 1: Shout out a colour and your child has to jump onto that colour. Add a ‘Simon Says’ twist where you‘re only supposed to jump onto the next colour if ‘Simon Says’.

Game 2: Attach the colour spots to what‘s around – tree, bench, wall, gate, bicycle, and then shout out a colour and your child has to run to it.

Game 3: If you’ve got the room and its safe, place the coloured spots to make a riding track or slalom to ride on their trike, scooter or bike.

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3. Catch and answer - Throw a ball (and a question) to each other and shout out an answer when its your turn to catch – if you drop the ball or get the answer wrong, the other person gets a point. For very young kids theanswers are just counting – they must count the next number as they catch. Older kids could shout out names of characters from Frozenor the names of Little Mix songs or things that begin with the next letter of the alphabet.

4. Obstacle Course - Make a terrific child obstacle course at the park. First have a gathering session to find some sticks and stones.

Obstacles:- Put the sticks on the ground to make a ladder which they have to run up with a foot in each section – make them do it with really high knees like a footballer at practice!- Put the stones out to make a path – a hopping or jumping path.- Make them walk with a tennis ball or similar between their knees.- Make them move a pile of stones from where you are to a tree 20m away, but one at a time.- If you have two children with you, they must walk with an object held between them shoulder to shoulder (team work as well as exercise!)- If you have a blanket with you, weigh it down with stones and they can use it as a scramble net.

And in bad weather – Indoor Obstacle Course at Home!Clear the living room and make some obstacles: one chair to be crawled under, another to be climbed and jumped from. A row of plastic plates on the floor and they must put each on their head as they pass them, crawl underneath a duvet cover as a scramble net, wheelbarrow with sibling or friend, pages of newspaper are stepping stones in a sea of lava, etc.

And maybe a trip up and down the stairs in between each obstacle!

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WalkLet’s

Walking is simple, free and one of the easiest ways to get more active, lose weight and become healthier. It’s ideal for people of all ages and fitness levels and is something the whole family can do together.

Brisk walking is a great way of being active. It will make you feel warmer, breathe harder and make your heart beat faster than usual, but you should still be able to carry on a conversation.

Why not start walking quickly for a few minutes – on top of what you already do – a couple of days a week?

Try to build your walking gradually to 10,000 steps a day. Most of us walk 3,000 and 4,000 steps a day anyway, so reaching 10,000 isn't as daunting as it sounds. If, to begin with, you can only walk fast for a couple of minutes, that's fine.

The easiest way to walkmore is to include it inyour daily routine by:

• Walking part of your journey to work• Walking to the shops• Using the stairs instead of the lift• Leaving the car behind for short journeys• Walking the kids to school• Going for a stroll with family after dinner• Use a toilet on a higher or lower floor

Wheneverpossible,take the

scenic route!

Keep an eye out for Active Wirral’s Walking Challenge coming in September


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We have all the services you need to keep your child healthy

pregnancy to pre-schoolers, our midwives, health visitors, and child health experts will help you give your child the best possible start and teach them skills that will keep them – and you – happy and healthy for life. #mychildcan

Wirral’s Early Childhood Services can help provide the best start for you and your family. Visit your local Children’s

...be healthyand safe.

/mychildcanwww.wirral.gov.uk/cc

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