You don’t have to pay the earth to keep your family healthy, entertained and happy – just head to the great outdoors with a plan and a well-stocked picnic basket for an afternoon adventure.

We all know we should be leading healthier lifestyles but take your whole family to a spa for a day and you could end up with a bill big enough to give you a heart attack. So why not save your money and enjoy the simpler, less exclusive pleasures available to all of us, outside?

On your bike
Cycling is a great family activity because it really does have something for everyone. It’s easy to cover fairly large distances and see a lot without becoming completely exhausted. Very little ones can be put in bike seats and if traffic is a concern they are plenty of well-kept bridleways around the country. The more adventurous can seek out fast descents and fitness improving climbs on more challenging terrain.

There are a number of ways to find a suitable route in your local area. The National Cycle Network is signposted and has been drawn up to help cyclists travel safely along Britain’s roads and designated off-road paths. As a rule of thumb cyclists have off-road access to public bridleways but not footpaths. Special rules may apply in national parks. Visit www.sustrans.org.uk/ for details of signposted cycle routes on the National Cycle Network

A useful port of call for information should also be the CTC, the UK’s National Cyclist’s Association. This site has advice and information on cycling, organised rides and for members, cycling routes. Visit www.ctc.org.uk for more. For completely off-road trails visit www.mountainbikerider.co.uk where you can order back issues of the MBR magazine with pull-out, difficulty-graded route cards for your local area.

For family-friendly cycle rides, Richmond Park ticks all the boxes with playgrounds and plenty of ice cream stops. www.royalparks.gov.uk/parks/richmond_park/ Cycling the lookout in Bracknell forest in Surrey is more of a challenge - www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/lookout/. And to avoid hills altogether, Thetford Forest in Norfolk is as flat as a pancake - www.forestry.gov.uk.

Walk it off
You don’t have to cycle to get healthier. Walking is a fantastic way to burn calories and improve the health of your heart. Just getting outside for a long walk can counter a whole week of stressed-out living and who knows, you might even have a good conversation or two along the way. (If you’re not sure where you can walk in your local area then visit www.ramblers.org.uk/freedom/ for information on public rights of way.)

But you can undo all the good work of walking with a fat and booze-packed pub lunch so why not take your own picnic and dine alfresco instead? When putting together a picnic hamper together there are some golden rules to remember:

Make sure your hamper is designed for travel or you won’t be walking very far. Picnic backpacks, which fold out to reveal food, drink, plastic plates and cutlery all stashed in place are an ideal solution (Visit www.johnlewis.com for the Concept Contour coolbag Backpack.)

Because you are intending to exercise you will need to pack some healthy carbohydrates. A sweet pepper and cous cous salad would be ideal to keep you going.

Avoid packing chocolate bars or biscuits because these will send your blood sugar levels rocketing for a brief time before sending them crashing down again, making you yearn to return to the sofa.

Every member of your family should drink the equivalent of a large glass of water for every hour of brisk walking so make sure you pack enough H₂O.

Eating lean proteins will help your body repair the microscopic tears that any decent exercise puts into your muscles. Cottage cheese or marinated turkey breast skewers would be ideal.

Run for fun
Running is the most popular mass participation sport in the UK and local races are held up and down the country all year round. Many of these are fun runs, designed along routes and distances suitable for the whole family to attempt. Even the ever-popular10-kilometer events usually have a family fun run category with a shortened course and extra support. One such sub event is the Mini Mud Bath fun run held over a rural one-mile course in Leicester, which is designed specifically for under 11 year olds.

All you need to run is a good pair of shoes so make sure that you visit a specialist running shoe shop to get your family kitted out in footwear suitable for them and avoid any future injuries.

Visit the ‘Events’ section of www.runnersworld.co.uk and select the sub-3km option in the search engine for the UK’s most comprehensive listing of fun runs in your local area.

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