Ways Family Fitness Can Encourage Kids to Exercise

Thinking about joining a gym or going for a run? What about kayaking? If you consider making your own personal fitness a family activity, you’ll not only have a fun activity for everyone but you’ll also encourage your kids to exercise - not just today, but you’ll be establishing healthy fitness habits for years to come. Sir Isaac Newton theorized that an object at rest stays at rest — so if you’re sitting on the couch, it’s likely that your kids will, too. Here are some ways that family fitness can encourage kids to exercise.

* Kids that see their parents exercising regularly will see it as a normal part of their daily routine. Whatever you do, your kids are likely to do.

* If you go for a jog every morning, your kids may pick up on that. Consider bringing them along next time. You can all enter a race together or just race each other informally around the neighborhood.

* Consider taking a family walk after dinner. It’s a good way to chat about how the school day went while burning off some extra calories and getting fresh air.

* Family bike rides are a great way to explore the neighborhood and once you’ve gotten in the habit, your kids might get in the habit of biking after school to a friend’s house, or to the store to get a snack.

* A family ski trip can be a great way to get the family moving. Start them out when they’re young and they’ll have an activity they can continue throughout adulthood.

* What about a family Olympics? You could set up categories and prizes – winner can choose who empties the dishwasher next week, or winner gets breakfast in bed.

* Headed to the gym? Why not take the whole family – even if your kids are too little, they’ll get in the habit of going to the play center or splashing around in the pool and one day they’ll join you on the track on weight machines because it’s a family habit.

* Family ice-skating parties can be a fun way to keep active.

* Bowling is another active way to get the family moving.

* Family canoe or kayak trips are a good way to be out and nature and get some exercise.

* Rock climbing isn’t just for individuals. The whole family will enjoy a climbing wall or a real rock climb. Just be sure to bring enough safety gear for everyone.

* Family backyard games such as volleyball, croquet, badminton, or tetherball can be a fun way to get exercise.

* A family game of flag football or touch football is a good way to get the muscles going and burn off some calories.

Studies show that people will keep up an exercise or fitness routine if they have someone to do it with. What better way to have a consistent fitness partner than enlist your family to share in the fun? Beginning exercise as a child will build a lifetime of healthy fitness habits for your children.

Laying the solid foundation of these habits can begin with you and the fitness patterns you establish within your family. When your kids are older, the fitness activities they did as a family will become a part of their nostalgia and they’ll pass these activities along to their kids. An object in motion sta ys in motion…