Too often today, kids spend a lot of time indoors, huddled in front of a computer or game console. Hour after hour goes by without any significant movement other than clicking the mouse or moving the thumbs. Unfortunately, busy parents don’t seem to mind as they are busy keeping the house clean or working late. Is this really what a family should be?

Not surprisingly, children’s fitness levels have declined over the past decade as children spend more time indoors. Never before has there been such a problem with childhood obesity and serious diseases like diabetes and even heart disease. In most cases, these are diseases that affect much older people, but as children choose to stay home and forget about exercise, their health deteriorates. When kids choose to ride a bike every day, their fitness level increases, their weight stays in check, and they can avoid terrible diseases that they should never have to deal with at such a young age. Of course, if parents were to model a healthy lifestyle by riding a bike, this would certainly help children make healthy choices.

Bicycling is a wonderful activity that can bring a family together and improve the overall health of each family member. Setting aside some time each week to go for a bike ride together can have many benefits for a family. Even beyond the health benefits, the relationship-building aspect is beyond explanation. In recent decades, as families have gotten busier with work, sports, and other activities, sitting down to dinner together has become quite difficult. Many families have simply resigned themselves to the fact that they just can’t spend much time together. This is simply not true. Even if dinner doesn’t work every day, scheduling a bike ride on Saturday or Sunday is a great way to reconnect with your kids and learn what’s going on in their lives.