7 Ways To Prioritize Exercise For Family Fitness Month
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Whether they want to admit it or not, your kids are always learning from you and picking up your habits. This applies to everything from how you treat others to how you view money and even how you do (or do not) exercise. Research published in Frontiers in Psychology shows that the exercise habits of parents (particularly of mothers) greatly influence those of their children. Family Fit Lifestyle Month is the perfect time to reflect on how your fitness habits are rubbing off on your children, and how you can, as a family, strive to lead a healthier lifestyle, together.
If you’re like many families, you’re always looking for ways to spend more quality time with your children. Exercising together and setting fitness goals as a unit can be an excellent way to bond. Working out together can even encourage everyone in the family to get more active. Research from fitness tracker app Myzone reported on in Club Industry found that people work out 56 percent more when they do so in a social setting. In recognizing the long-term health and wellness benefits of not just focusing on fitness, but doing so as a family, MADAMENOIRE is doing a weekly series for Family Fitness Month. All month long, we’ll be highlighting different ways you can prioritize fitness with your family. Let’s start with ways to prioritize exercise more.
Swap Out Weekend Cartoons For Cardio
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If your kids usually watch Saturday morning cartoons, change up your weekend routine as a family. Plan a weekend activity that will get hearts pumping and get everyone excited. This could be a hike to a cool spot in your city where you’ll enjoy a picnic with your kids’ favorite (healthy) foods. It could be going to the beach and running in the sand (one study showed running on the sand burns 1.6 more calories than running on hard ground). Think of an activity that would seem like an adventure to your kids, but will actually get everyone exercising.
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Rock Climb As A Family
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If your children love a challenge, find a rock climbing gym and rock climb as a family. Rock climbing is an incredible workout – it burns 500 to 900 calories per hour and according to BMJ can build strength and power. Rock climbing can also help your kids grow their confidence. Once they see themselves overcome difficult physical challenges, they’ll feel more ready to take on all of life’s challenges. Additionally, the partnership nature of indoor rock climbing will help you and your children strengthen your bonds and your trust in one another.
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Bike To Your Family Adventure
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Pick a destination that your kids can get excited about. Maybe it’s a museum, theme park or just a good friend’s home. Instead of driving there, bike or walk there. You can map out some other fun stops along the way, so it feels more like a day of local sightseeing instead of a chore. If it’s in the budget, you can get everyone in the family matching bikes, or paint and decorate the existing ones with the same theme so you can ride in style.
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Join A Family Fitness Class
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Call your local gym and ask if they offer any fitness classes for parents with their children. Your local YMCA likely has several. Many gyms have family plans that allow children to sign up under their parent’s plan at a discounted rated. Some age restrictions will apply. Get everyone on the same family gym plan and hit the gym together. You can agree to grab lunch at a favorite spot after to sweeten the deal. Plus, you can spot each other in the gym, and run on treadmills alongside one another.
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Get Creative At Jungle Gyms
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The jungle gym at your local park provides a totally free way to work out as a family. You can make up games to play with your children. Chase them up ladders, do pull-ups on monkey bars or put on a race to see who can complete the full set of obstacles the fastest.
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Create Fitness Challenges
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Get everyone a fitness tracker and create fitness challenges with prizes. Each member of the family can compete to take the most steps, do the most minutes of cardio, run the most miles and more. The winner can get a gift card or maybe a week off of chores.
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Form A Family Sports League
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Form a family sports league and compete against other families in your neighborhood. Choose a sport that interests your family and call the parents of your kids’ favorite friends. If they get to see their buddies, they’ll be excited to meet up for soccer practice or baseball games. You can keep score, and maybe the losing family throws a barbecue or pizza night for all the others.
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