Has winter turned your family into lethargic couch potatoes? Spring's the perfect time to get the whole family out of the house, exercising, and having fun.

When early June rolls around, most of us start thinking of getting ready for summer activities like biking, boating, hiking, swimming, and going to the beach. Sometimes, there can be a moment of panic upon realizing that last year's bathing suit doesn't fit quite right or a ten-minute bike ride leaves you out of breath.

Want to avoid any moments of panic? Try adding healthy, heart-pumping activities to your routine right now. And get your kids involved, too, since being physically active as a kid builds a great foundation for a long and healthy life.

Getting more exercise during spring doesn't have to be hard or painful, since you can choose spring activities that are fun for both children and adults. Here are five easy ways for you and your kids to get more exercise and have fun.

1. Go Bird Watching. Whether you live in a large city, a small town or a rural setting, your family can get outside during the spring and discover the myriad of big and small birds living near you. Challenge your kids to listen for different bird songs as you walk, and to count how many different songs they hear. If you don't know anything about birds, buy a bird identification guide and a pair of inexpensive binoculars and see if you can identify one new species on each bird walk you go on.

2. Spring Clean Your Yard. Moderate yard work such as raking, trimming, and gardening can burn around 225 calories in an hour. That's a lot of calories! To maximize the benefits of your spring yard work, break it down into 20- or 30-minute segments, and get your whole family to work on your yard regularly. Not only will you get great exercise-your yard will be the best-looking one on the block.

3. Spring Clean Your Community. Often, communities have several different cleanup days in the spring. Sometimes it's helping to clean up a nearby river or creek area; sometimes it's to repair damage done in the winter to local hiking trails; or sometimes cleanup days will be held in neighborhood parks. It's a great way to get some exercise, and, by participating as a family, you'll allow your children to experience how fun it can be to do a little hard work, get a little dirty, and help make a difference in your community.

4. Go Fly a Kite. It's the quintessential outdoor spring activity for families, and it's great exercise. You can fly kites in the summer and fall, but the weather conditions are optimal in the spring. There's the good wind speeds that make it easy to get your kite up high. There's the always changing wind direction that makes it tougher (and more fun) to keep your kite in the air for a long time. Need a few kite flying hints? Here are two: Keep a kite in your car so that when the perfect kite flying opportunity presents itself, you and your kids will be ready; and, for a little more visual fun, let your kids add "line laundry" such as streamers or ribbon tails to the kite line.

5. Bring Spring to You. If your big-city setting makes it difficult to get outdoor exercise, you can bring fun spring indoors. Try a variety of activities, like dancing, dusting, jumping jacks, doing dishes, or playing hacky sack in the living room. Designate a space where kids can roll, climb, jump, dance and tumble. If your kids like playing video games, then get some games that incorporate movement into them (dance games are a good bet) and join in on the fun, too.Print Health Tip