Exercising is important for your body and mind. It’s estimated that we need an hour of physical activity per day to function at our best. That applies to people of all ages. Getting your family, including the young ones, to be active will not be easy. You have to make the activities fun and appealing. It’s the only way to get everyone to stop staring at their screens for hours. Active time isn’t only fun, but can also be quality time spent with the family. You can make your partner and children look forward to it.
Here are 4 ways to get the whole family to be active.
1. Outdoor Activities
Getting your family out in the sun will help them get Vitamin D which is essential for the body and their mood. Take your family to the park and start playing together. You can make a habit of taking them for a walk around the block every other day at sunset. For older kids, you can start cycling. According to the people at https://www.cyclingrevolution.com/, you can tell if the bike is good for your kids if you take them with you at the store. You can read more about different bikes for kids and adults online. Be sure to read reviews before making a decision.
Another activity that has many benefits is gardening. The act of digging and putting the bulb in the soil, for instance, is comparable to lifting weights. Additionally, kids may start eating the veggies they planted themselves. In autumn, you can get them to rake the leaves and pull the weeds.
2. Indoor Activities
A lot of us don’t like chores, but you can make games out of them, especially for younger children. Encourage your kids to participate in helping around the house. There are plenty of ways like playing make-believe and identifying games to make them interested. Chores like folding clothes, sweeping the floor, and putting away their toys will get them moving around. If they grow up liking chores, life will definitely be easier for you.
Another activity that everyone of every age loves is dancing. You don’t need to work hard to make your kids dance. Just crank up the radio or the music channel and they’re guaranteed to have a good time. They will especially love it when you join them and it will help you blow off some steam.
3. Sports
Sports can be done in the backyard, at the sports club, or in the park. You can get them a basket and try to score with a basketball or you can get them a football and teach them how to throw. Ask them what sports they like to play and make a set up in the backyard. This way you can play sports together as a family, but remember not to make the competition take the fun out of it.
Try to join a sports club where you can run on a track or play golf while the kids get training in their chosen sport. It will keep them active and they will also learn time management and discipline. It will encourage them to make friends as well.
4. Change Your Habits
It all depends on getting rid of your bad habits. If your family is used to watching TV for hours per day, you need to change their habits. If your kids use their tablets as much as they want, a change is necessary. You have to limit their screen time, which will be met with contempt at first, but they will grow to appreciate it. An hour or two of screen time is enough. Take the phones out of the kids’ hands and they will find different ways to entertain themselves, playing old-fashioned games like hide-and-seek.
If your school is near where you live, you can wake up a bit earlier and walk or ride a bike with them to school every morning. It will be the perfect start to their days and will make them energized. The same applies to the grocery store and their friends’ house. That will benefit the whole family and will save gas money. If every family does that, it will also be beneficial to the environment, so it’s a win-win.
Keeping your family active won’t be an easy task at first, but it’s very much worth the effort. You can take baby steps, inserting activities one by one into their everyday lives. And it doesn’t always have to be mundane, it can be fun and engaging. They will be resistant to change at first, but they will be thankful when they grow up.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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