Fitness Tips for Kids
Posted in Fitness, Off the Wall by inMotion Life
These days it can be quite difficult to get your kids to exercise and stay fit. They are so busy playing computer and video games, or doing their homework, that they don’t seem to think about exercising at all. As a parent you need to come up with creative ways of getting your kids outside into the fresh air.
Kids Football | Image: polleywellness.com
The first tip we can offer you, is to make exercising fun and more of a game. This can be done in several ways:
- Playing a game of soccer, volleyball or baseball with your kids
- Going for a scenic hike
- Going for a family bike ride
- Swimming at the pool or beach
- Going camping for the weekend
- Jumping rope
- Using an outdoor trampoline
For example, if the entire family goes on a camping trip, your kids can go looking for firewood, swimming and even fishing. This provides them with exercise and fun all at the same time.
Back at home, even building a new picnic table or tree house can be a great source of exercise. You don’t have to think about running or doing push-ups and jumping jacks to get exercise. The more fun and less like a regimented exercise the activity is, the more likely your child will enjoy it, and want to do it again.
It really is important to get your children into the habit of exercising regularly. Obesity in children in the Western world is at an all time high. This is mainly due to a lack of exercise both at home and because of cutbacks in the education system. Many schools today offer very limited programs when it comes to sports.
Other easy tips to encourage your kids to exercise more, would be to get them to take the stairs instead of using an elevator. As a family, when you visit the mall, park your car further away so everyone has to walk further to get to the entrance.
Get into the habit of going for a family walk or go swimming together on the weekends. Depending on where you live, you can go ice skating or cross country skiing and even skateboarding together. This way you are actually practicing what you preach to your children, and this can make a huge difference in their quality of life and yours.
Setting limits for television, video, computer and cell phones is sometimes necessary in order to get your children active again. As your child becomes more active they will sleep better, have more energy and will probably lose a few pounds in the process as well.
So how about you? Do you find it hard to motivate your kids to get exercise? Do you have your own tips or ideas to keep your kids fit? We’d love to hear them in the comments below.
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