Most families have a list of things that need to happen daily or weekly. From grocery shopping to taking out the trash or from doing homework to fixing dinner, parents have to make sure it all gets done. But exercising together? How’s that going to work?
To be sure, there are challenges to exercising as a family, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. While there are many variables, such as number of family members, age of children, the goal of the activity, and the fitness levels of those involved, you and your family can still enjoy and benefit from exercising with one another.
Let’s discuss some of these factors and possible solutions to each.
Finding the Time
We just don’t have the time.
If you make exercise non-negotiable for yourself and your children, then you can schedule it in like you would anything else. If you implement the idea that regular exercise is part of life when your kids are young, you’re going to set them up for success. Consider that when your kids are little, they look up to you and want to copy you. So why not show them that exercise is as important as brushing teeth or getting up in the morning? Doing this can help them prioritize their health.
Family (Size) Matters
If your family is made up of two parents and two children only a few years apart, it may be a bit easier to exercise together than it would be with a larger family. Play basketball, frisbee, soccer, or just throw a ball back and forth in your backyard or at a park. Mom and Johnny can be a team, and Dad and Jane can be a team. Switch it up and change teams too. This allows each family member time with each other and could encourage a little friendly competition.
In large families with wide ranges in age, you may need to ask older children to slow things down a bit to include the little ones. Here again, teams can be used to give older, more dexterous kids a chance to push themselves with Mom or Dad in between periods of teaching and helping younger children.
Break the Bribing Habit
As many parents know sometimes getting kids to comply isn’t always easy. However, it’s not recommended to bribe children to do a physical activity. When bribes are used, kids start to see exercise as not having any other value than the reward you are offering. It also puts the child in control and may encourage them to name their price for other expected behaviors or activities. In the end, rewarding fitness in this way will likely fail to teach your kids that physical activity is a normal part of life and may even cultivate a sense of entitlement in them.
Family fitness doesn’t have to mean doing only structured team sports. You can also try timed drills or obstacle courses. You don’t even have to get that fancy with it. Kids can hop over a plastic bucket, crawl under a string tied between two trees, balance while walking across a four-by-four, and throw a ball into a laundry basket. Many kids enjoy the challenge and creativity involved. You might be surprised what your kids come up with in the absence of digital devices. The key is to keep it fun and keep it going.
You know your kids’ interests best. If they don’t feel skilled at one thing, encourage them to do something they feel they are good at. Or bring up the idea of trying to get better at something with practice. Be careful not to overcoach your children. If you point out how they are doing something improperly or poorly over and over, exercise becomes a lecture. If your kids are already involved in a sport, let their coach take over that role and instead just cheer them on. During family exercise, you may give a pointer here or there, but keep it minimal to maximize fun and interest for all family members.
Three of a Kind
There are three categories of movement, and no matter what, you and your kids are already doing at least one of them. Walking from the front door to the car, picking up a backpack, or washing the dishes are all part of incidental exercise. Baseball, soccer, tennis, and golf are activities that are engaging and focused. Regimented exercise is any structured physical activity, such as high-intensity interval training, weightlifting, and core strengthening. If you or your family are only getting daily incidental movement, you definitely want to step up your fitness efforts.
On the other hand, doing only regimented exercise by working out at the gym every day may be a healthy thing to do, but most people, kids, and adults are probably going to get bored with it pretty quickly. Mix it up and try to incorporate both activities and regimented exercise into your family fitness plan. As for incidental movement, make sure to continue parking far from the entrance to the grocery store. Walk or ride bikes to school and keep looking for ways to move, twist, and lift your body more rather than less.
What’s Your Goal?
The surgeon general recommends 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week to maintain good health. That’s only about 20 minutes a day of running, biking, swimming, doing drills, or playing a sport.
Generally, learning a sport together is a great idea. That way, while all of you may not be at the same level of fitness or ability, all of you will be beginners at learning how to do the sport. Martial arts is a great example of an activity a family can learn and practice together regardless of age. Martial arts encompass a broad range of physical demands such as agility, strength, and flexibility while often building self-confidence.
When exercising with your loved ones, remember to check disagreements or problems at the door. This is especially important for Mom and Dad. Who wants to play soccer or run an obstacle course when you and your partner are bickering over who didn’t do an errand they were supposed to do? Many people exercise to escape negative thoughts and feelings. Let all those arguments go every time it’s time for family exercise.
To Compete or Not to Compete?
Competition can help push your family to try harder and not give up. It can lift spirits and make you feel like champions. It can also make someone feel bad about themselves or encourage roughness and possibly even cheating. Here, you will want to gage your family members’ personalities and abilities to be good losers or gracious winners in order to decide what is right for you.
Of course, there are many advantages to exercise besides the obvious physical ones. Parents have reported they felt they strengthened their relationships with their kids, noticed improvement in their children’s emotional balance and social skills, and in some cases even helped increase their children’s learning abilities after doing physical activities or exercises together as a family.
Always consult your physician or other healthcare provider before starting any exercise program. These suggestions are not intended to be used by anyone who is injured or otherwise physically limited.
