Exercising as a family is not only a fun way to improve fitness, it’s a way to cultivate the culture of wellness, positive exercise habits, and develop good family bonding.
Below are some fun exercise-based family activities guaranteed to create smiles and sweat!
Family Boot Camp
Each family member writes down 5 of his or her favorite body-weight exercises, for a total of at least 20. Exercises can be dance moves, calisthenics, martial arts, anything physical that the entire family can do.
Hide and Sweat!
The adults in the family write down 20 physical activities on separate small pieces of paper. These are then hidden around the house. Kids are then tasked to find them. When they find them they open them and the entire family performs the activity for the reps or amount of time given.
Family Walks
Sometimes the simplest solution is the best. There are so many benefits to walking (and to being outside), and one thing is that the whole family can participate (even the baby in her stroller).
Dance Party
This usually involves putting on some music and dancing all over the house. Before you know it, you all are caught up in a pool of sweat and have just ditched some calories.
Jump Rope
A kid-friendly exercise that is great for the whole family. In fact, kids usually dominate at this exercise once they get the hang of it thanks to their lower center of gravity. Just ten minutes of jump rope is enough to get the blood flowing and with more than one person, it is fun to learn all kinds of fun jumps.
Just Hang Out!
Part of the solution can also be creating a home environment that promotes movement. While this isn’t something one would normally think of as exercise, we have a vestibular system that requires a certain amount of movement and stimulation to function. It’s especially important for kids to have this kind of input as they grow and develop.
Give Kids Freedom
Most kids are naturally inclined to be active… to the point that they exhaust us! As electronics use grows in our society, it’s important to give kids other options for adventure and entertainment. And this might involve letting them take some risks!
