Becoming a fit family may be easier than you think. Follow these guidelines and reap the benefits! 

Step One: Make health a family affair  

Numerous studies show healthy habits are contagious, and kids are more likely to be physically active and interested in nutritious food when their parents are on board. It's also incredibly important to have one central health message – even if one child is overweight and one child is super thin, keep your family plan consistent and everyone benefits.

Step Two: Educate your kids about the importance of nutritious food and exercise 

Education goes a long way – when kids truly understand why it's important to take care of their body, they're much more likely to follow through. There are several low-cost products that help turn education into a game, including:

• The Funtastic Food Tracker ($19.99) allows children to record what they eat each day by placing magnetized discs on corresponding color-coded columns that represent the five major food groups. At the end of each day, the child's eating pattern can be seen at a glance, helping parent and child make better choices together.
• Balance Bands ($14.95) are a visual tool to remind kids to eat their five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Each kit comes with five balance bands. To start, you just put all the bracelets on your right wrist in the morning. Every time you eat a serving of fruits or veggies, you move one of the bands to your left wrist. The goal is to have all the bands on your left wrist by bedtime.
• Neat Solutions Weekly Exercise Chart ($5.99) is designed to motivate kids to set exercise goals and develop a sense of accomplishment. The charts break down exercise into daily boxes and include 100 sparkly star stickers for rewarding progress. 

Step Three: Engage your kids in the kitchen 

Kids are more likely to eat healthy foods when they’re involved in the prep. Check your local bookstore or library for one of the many children’s healthy cookbooks now available. You can also make your kitchen more kid-friendly with Williams-Sonoma's kid-specific kitchen items, such as a Kids' Chef Jacket ($42), Kids' Aprons ($34), Kids' Tools & Tongs Set ($36.95), and Kids’ Kitchen Tools ($39).

Step Four: Get moving and keep moving!  

Physical activity can boost self-esteem and family bonding. Ride bikes, take long walks, hike, play tennis, anything goes.

If you want to try a high-tech hook: The Discovery Store sells the Discover Virtual Distance Football ($19.95) that includes a sensor that determines the distance the ball is thrown, as well as the Discover Spy Laser Chase ($19.95) that encourages kids to play tag with a high-tech twist. Infrared "lasers" strap to your wrist and fire quickly and accurately even when you're running.  

Of course, if your kids are glued to the TV, there are additional great options. The interactive Nintendo Wii system ($389.96) encourages kids (and parents!) to get some exercise while playing video games like Dance Dance Revolution. At Toys R Us you'll find Disney's High School Musical Dance Mat ($29.99), which gets players dancing, and Fisher Price's Smart Cycle ($99.99), a stationary bike/learning video game that gets young kids moving.