Family :: Staying Fit Together
Image courtesy of Flickr
If you are like most busy moms, you are constantly trying to find ways (and time) to exercise. My daughter just had three weeks of Spring Break; having her home was fun but it definitely threw a wrench in my routine. I found myself having to sneak in creative workouts that she wanted to participate in. How did I get her to want to exercise? Simple: I changed the way I talked about physical activity, I made it fun!
Have A Dance Party
Whether your child is a toddler or a teenager, I can’t think of anyone who doesn’t love dancing? In the privacy of your own living room, everyone dances like a pro! Dance your heart out for four songs in a row and you will have gotten that heart rate up for 12-15 minutes.
Let The Kids Be the Coach
Giving the children control is the easiest way to get them on board. Tell them you want them to be your coach. Hand them a timer, and this could be an all day affair. Try starting with 60 second intervals of jumping jacks, squats, and pushups. Repeat 3-4 times, take turns coaching each other and coming up with new moves.
Scavenger Hunt
If I ask my daughter to go for a walk, I get an eye roll and a big sigh. If I ask my daughter to go on a scavenger hunt, I get a mad dash for the door. Pick simple items you know can be found around your neighborhood (think a mailbox, the number 4, a pebble, etc.), write them down, and have a race to see how fast you can find all the items.
Train Together
Research a fun, family- friendly race to train for. You will be surprised to find most racing events have a kids run before the start. Plan ahead and work on increasing stamina together. Start walking 3-5 times per week and gradually add intervals of jogging. When it comes time for your event, everyone gets a medal, and the smiles will be priceless.
Ultimately, staying active should be a family affair. You will notice that by making exercise something that looks and sounds appealing to your children, they might not be the only ones who start to love exercise!
0What are some ways you stay active with your family?
Melissa
Melissa Northway, M.S. is a mom, founder of dandelion moms, and a children’s book author. Her award-winning book Penelope the Purple Pirate was inspired by her little tomboy. Penelope is a modern-day Pippi Longstocking who teaches girls and boys the importance of having fun while at the same time teaching them to be kind and respectful of others and their differences. Dandelion moms was created for moms to share their stories and to inspire and be inspired! You can reach Melissa at: info@dandelionmoms.com and follow her @melissanorthway and @dandelionmoms. Check out her author web site at: www.melissanorthway.com, as she hands out loads of goodies from the treasure chest.
4 Comments
Alexia
I completely agree that it’s all about how you present the idea of exercising. If I ask my daughter to go for a bike ride, she will likely say no, but if I ask her if she wants to race she’s half way out the door hoping to beat me. She also loves any activities that require her taking charge. These are great tips and I plan to incorporate them in our daily lives. Please keep us posted on any new ideas. 🙂
Holly Southernmom
I love the Scavenger Hunt idea. Fun!
Candy Cook
Great! Get active, get outdoors!! I just posted about my experience rediscovering my love of biking when I went mountain biking for the first time. Yayah!
http://www.commonbreathingproblems.com
I always love seeing a family making an effort to stay fit together. i think that it’s a good example for parents to show their kids the importance of health. A lot of us inly realize how vital health is later in our life because it wasn’t a part of their life growing up. Being healthy can save you a lot of time in the future that’s why I’ve always been health conscious, I know a lot of people that lost a lot because of health problems and I don’t want that to happen to me or any of my loved ones.
Regards,
Olivia Clark