Tips for Exercising as a Family
There are many reasons to exercise together as a family. Firstly, it provides you with some great quality time together, while showing your children that exercise can be fun. Plus, it’s a great way to instil some healthy habits into them. Too many children these days spend so much time in front of the computer and playing video games that they don’t understand and appreciate the benefits of getting regular exercise.
Exercise doesn’t have to be running and huffing and puffing around the gym. There are plenty of easy low impact exercises that can be done together. A few that come to mind are walking, hiking, swimming, tennis, sailing and golfing. There’s nothing better than to get outside with your family and have fun!
Just teaching your young child how to ride a bike or learn to skate is exercise! You are showing them how to be active and enjoy the outdoors.
Many parents encourage their children to play soccer, football, baseball and even to take karate lessons, which is great. But it’s even better if both parents and children exercise together as well. So why not go on a family hike once a month?
To get your children into the habit of exercising, you could allow them to pick the activity. It could be going on a mountain bike trail, ice skating, horseback riding, or even going out to play miniature golf.
As with any exercise or sport, you want to make sure your kids are wearing the correct clothing. This includes any protective gear such as helmets, knee and elbow pads. If you’re hiking, then a good pair of hiking boots are essential. You want to prevent injuries as much as possible.
Before you head out for the day or afternoon make sure everyone has had the chance to warm up. This could be just doing a few jumping jacks or running on the spot for a couple of minutes. Even bending over to see who can touch their toes is a great warm up exercise that’s fun for the family.
Make your chosen activity more enjoyable by taking along a camera and shooting a few pictures of your family outing. If you’re hiking or walking, you never know what animal, bird or unusual flower you might see.
Always go out prepared by having a small first aid kit in your car, or better yet carry it along in your back pack. Hiking is a great way to teach your children how to read a map and use a compass. They won’t even realize they are learning something new, as they’ll be having so much fun.
Have I left out any other great activities for the family to exercise together? Leave your ideas in the comments below.
