School’s out! For many, that means routine is out of the window and for the next six weeks you’ve got the job of keeping the family active and entertained. Finding the balance of not blowing the budget in the first 2 weeks, keeping screentime to a minimum and maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle is no mean feat but enjoying time out as a family over the summer months needn’t be expensive. 

Getting outdoors and enjoying nature is a great form of daily exercise that gets the heart rate up, which increases oxygen in the blood and helps release endorphins, which all help increase natural energy.  It’s also a great way of boosting the production of serotonin, known as the happy hormone, keeping the whole family smiling for 6 weeks! 

We’ve partnered with our favourite natural iron supplement Spatone® to share five ways you can stay active as a family that won’t break the bank this summer. 

1) Get the wheels turning

There are so many free cycle trails and adventures all over the UK and it’s a great way to stay active as a family. We’ve put together a list of our favourite routes below.

• Waterlink Way – Sydenham to The Thames – London
• Camel Trail – Padstow to Wadebridge – Cornwall
• The Mawddach Trail – Dolgellau – Wales
• Western Shore of Windermere – The Lake District (catch the bike boat to turn it into a real adventure!)
• Liverpool Loop Line – East Liverpool 

2) Go on a treasure hunt

There is nothing more exciting than a treasure hunt as a child, and as a bonus, it gets them active and exercising without even realising it. Geocaching is the modern-day treasure hunt, with cache locations all over the UK. Why not turn it into a real green adventure and litter pick along the way? 

3) Get out in the garden

A day gardening as a family is a great way to get kids interested in eating their iron-rich leafy greens and vital vitamins. Help them create their very own vegetable patch using vegetables of their choice or teach them the importance of our favourite fuzzy pollinators and let them forage for twigs and leaves to make a bee hotel. Hours of fun can be spent in the garden over the warmer months.

4) Get your walking boots on

Whether it’s a race to the top of a mountain, a brisk walk along the beach or a bimble through the woods at your local country park there are thousands of walks across the UK to enjoy as a family! Pack a picnic, grab your walking boots and go explore the great outdoors!

5) Let’s go fly a kite

…up to the highest height! Whether it’s a homemade kite with some plastic bags and some string or a top-of-the-range delta (both of which usually ended up stuck in a tree) there are hours of fun to be had over the summer, running around with a kite trailing behind!

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In the warmer summer months, don’t forget it’s really important to stay hydrated – something that is easy to forget when you are out of a normal routine and spending time in the sunshine! Keeping the body hydrated ensures the heart is able to pump blood through the blood vessels to the muscles allowing us to keep moving but also helps keep our natural energy levels up. When we sweat, we not only lose water but also iron. 

Iron is a key nutrient for every body that plays many important roles, including supporting a healthy immune system and supporting our natural energy levels. Did you know our bodies do not naturally produce iron, so it relies on us to include enough of it in our diets? Eating a rich diet of leafy greens, red meat and lentils is a great start but often the level of iron absorption is inhibited by the other foods we eat alongside such as cereals, other whole-grain foods, dairy products and tannins such tea and coffee, therefore an iron-rich supplement like Spatone® can help.

Spatone® is a natural iron-rich water supplement suitable for all the family over the age of 2 years. Sourced from the hills of Snowdonia, Wales, these convenient to use, daily-dose sachets make it easy to ensure your family’s daily iron levels are supported throughout the summer months and beyond.

Spatone® is the UK’s number one natural iron brand*. Available in original or apple flavour with added vitamin C to aid iron absorption. Spatone® is vegan-friendly and suitable for the whole family including pregnant and breastfeeding women, and children over the age of 2. For more information on Spatone®, click here.