A family that exercises together, stays together
Think about it. What are the top reasons you exercise? It is probably because you want to feel better, get fitter and maybe lose some weight. Am I right?
Kids, however, have a completely different motivation to exercise. A motivation we, as adults, can learn from. That is to simply have fun.
This is the key to being a happy fitness family, because if children and adults enjoy an activity, they’re more likely to stick with it.
The best time to start is when they're young
Monkey see, monkey do. It makes sense that an inactive child has a greater chance of becoming an inactive grown-up if healthy habits aren’t practised early in life. So the best time to start is when they are still young.
What better way to get your kids moving than to find a fun exercise activity your whole family can enjoy together? Your family will not only be healthier and fitter, but will enjoy some quality time connecting, and set habits that will set them up for later in life.
You don’t have to drag your kids to the local gym to get this going either. In fact most kids aren’t allowed to lift weights until they are a bit older and know how to do it correctly.
So here are some fun and creative ways that will get the whole family moving.
Chores are fun
I can almost hear you thinking: yeah right, in what universe are chores fun? Hear me out. I know that chores and fun don’t usually mix, so this is what you can do to combine chores with fitness while making it fun at the same time.
Turn up your family’s favourite tunes and sing and dance while cleaning the house. Let the kids take turns choosing the music. All ages can be involved — the youngest can pick up toys or sweep the floors, the older kids can vacuum or sort out the washing.
A great little trick is to turn household activities into a competition. Most kids are easily tricked if you tell them that you can clean up faster than they can.
Let's dance
Like Taylor Swift says, shake it off. Make the kids’ play-date into a dance party. Move the furniture out of the way, turn down the lights, and turn up the beats.
Kids will love it. If you have a Wii or Xbox dance game, even better — take turns in a dance competition. Why not bring the old records out and teach the kids some of your old dance moves? Feeling a bit rusty? Have a look on YouTube and learn some new moves together.
Family time can be fitness time
Instead of watching a movie or playing a board game, turn family nights into fitness nights.
Try going for a bike ride together and watch the sun set. Visit Mount Lofty or a nearby park to go on a hike. Get another family to join you and organise a soccer game, a volleyball tournament, or even an egg and spoon race.
You can get a table tennis net that hooks onto the dinner table for cheap at Big W or eBay. When the sun is out, go to the beach and run towards the water and back without the waves hitting you — that’s a great interval session. What about ice skating as a family? Now there’s a fun family workout.
Let each family member take turns choosing which activity to do during family time.
How can a personal trainer help?
Everyone is different, and sometimes it takes a bit of effort to get the body moving smoothly again. Previous injuries, a sore back or low energy can sometimes get in the way of really enjoying family fitness time.
We can help by strengthening your body and core so it becomes easy again to keep up with the kids. I also find that people become more motivated to do active things with the family once they get into the healthy living mindset.
I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard clients tell me how much better they feel since they started. The funny thing is that it rubs off — we now have group sessions that consist entirely of one family.
We are here for each other
A great way to stay motivated as a family is to track your progress. For example, if Mum wants to lose weight and Dad is trying to bench press a heavier weight, you encourage each other along the way.
You can also have all family members wear a Fitbit or other activity tracker and reward the person with the most steps. Or choose an exercise challenge — who can plank the longest, or who can do the most squats in a minute.
At the beginning of the month, each family member performs their maximum number of repetitions. After a month of training, the person with the highest percentage of improvement gets a small reward.
I find that kids especially enjoy things like the skipping rope, or a simple game of catch-me-if-you-can.
Keep progress at the forefront with a chart on the fridge as a friendly reminder to keep going.
Set aside just half an hour, two to three times a week, to get moving as a family.
When fitness is incorporated into everyday life, it won’t become a drag or another thing to fit into your already busy schedule.
Fitness as a way of life
Your kids will have fun and learn valuable life lessons — and you’ll have set them up with habits that outlast anything you could teach them in a gym.
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